JAL’s Second A350-1000, ‘JA02WJ’, Also Features Red Logo; Third Aircraft Yet To Be Decided

Japan Airlines (JAL) has decorated the rear fuselage of its second Airbus A350-1000 aircraft (registration number: JA02WJ) with the “AIRBUS A350-1000” lettering.

The second aircraft was delivered to JAL on January 10th local time in Toulouse, France, where Airbus has its factory. The ferry flight to Japan departed from Toulouse on the 13th at 2:03 PM and arrived at Haneda Airport on the 14th at 11:08 AM. Its operation started with the JL6 flight from Tokyo/Haneda to New York on January 26th.

▲The aircraft initially operated in regular livery (January 26, 2024)

Until the JL5 flight from New York to Tokyo/Haneda on April 10th (arriving on the 11th), it operated in its standard white livery, but from the 11th to the 15th, decal application work was carried out in a hangar at Haneda Airport. The design is the same as that applied to the first aircraft (registration number: JA01WJ), with “AIRBUS” in black letters and “A350-1000” in red letters. The first flight with the decals applied is expected to be the JL6 flight from Tokyo/Haneda to New York on the 17th.

JAL has ordered 13 units of the A350-1000 as the successor to the current mainstay international aircraft, the Boeing 777-300ER. Up to now, three aircraft have been received, with the first aircraft starting operation on January 24th and the third aircraft (registration number: JA03WJ) on March 31st. Currently, they are deployed on the JL6/5 flights between Tokyo/Haneda and New York, and from April 17th, they will also be deployed on the JL12/11 flights between Tokyo/Haneda and Dallas/Fort Worth. An eight-aircraft system is expected to be in place within this fiscal year, and the JL4/3 flights between Tokyo/Haneda and New York, as well as the JL43/44 flights between Tokyo/Haneda and London/Heathrow, will also be operated with A350-1000 aircraft.

According to JAL, whether the same decals will be applied to the third aircraft is yet to be determined.