Japan Airlines (JAL) is currently progressing with pre-flight modifications at Haneda Airport for its newest Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, aircraft number 8 (aircraft registration: JA08WJ), soon to be launched for commercial service.
JAL plans to have eight A350-1000 aircraft within this fiscal year, having received six by October. Normally, aircraft number 7 (JA07WJ) would be next to be introduced, but due to changes in the assembly schedule at Airbus, aircraft number 8 has been delivered first.
Aircraft number 8 departed from Toulouse, where the Airbus factory is located, at 2:17 PM local time on December 6, traveling over Central Asia among other regions before arriving at Haneda Airport at 11:25 AM Japan time on December 7.
The pre-flight modifications include lubrication of moving parts and operational checks of seat mechanisms, which typically take about 1 to 2 weeks for the A350-1000 aircraft. On December 16, when the work was made public, the aircraft registration plate, stamped with the aircraft number, and an aluminum crane logo for the cabin were installed.
The identification plate was fixed above the L1 door by applying adhesive and secured with screws at the corners. Finally, fingerprints and dirt on the surface were wiped off to complete the installation. The crane logo was attached to the wall near the L1 door entrance by hooking it onto screws and then securing it with screws at four points around the perimeter.
Aircraft number 8 is expected to enter commercial service after the completion of pre-flight modifications, but JAL has stated that no specific launch date has been determined at this point.
The A350-1000 aircraft is JAL’s new flagship international model, succeeding the Boeing 777-300ER. The cabin is configured with 239 seats in 4 classes: 6 first-class seats in a ‘1-1-1’ configuration, 54 business-class seats in a ‘1-2-1’ configuration, 24 premium economy-class seats in a ‘2-4-2’ configuration, and 155 economy-class seats in a ‘3-3-3’ configuration. Both first and business classes feature private suites with doors, a first for JAL.
Starting January 24, it will operate on the Tokyo/Haneda to New York/John F. Kennedy route, with its second route from Tokyo/Haneda to Dallas/Fort Worth commencing on April 17. From October 24, it is being introduced every other day on the Tokyo/Haneda to London/Heathrow route, with plans to expand to daily operations from January 2, 2025 onwards.
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This article was generated using automatic translation by GPT-4 API. The translation may not be accurate.
