Japan Airlines (JAL) began operating the Airbus A350-1000 aircraft on the Tokyo/Haneda to Los Angeles route on June 30, marking the end of Boeing 777-300ER operations on this route.
JAL has ordered 13 A350-1000 aircraft. Out of these, nine have been delivered and are being used on routes from Tokyo/Haneda to New York, Dallas, London, and Paris. With the start of operations on the Los Angeles route, the A350-1000 now serves five routes in total. Additionally, it was temporarily deployed on the Tokyo/Haneda to Singapore route from February 12 to March 29.
▲Captain Suzuki of JL16 greets “Enjoy a 10-hour journey”
A ceremony was held at Haneda Airport to commemorate the inaugural flight, where Captain Atsushi Suzuki of JL16 gave a greeting. At the gate, a life-sized panel of Shohei Ohtani, a player for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Major League Baseball, was set up, allowing passengers to take commemorative photos. The inaugural flight operated with the first aircraft marked with the “A350-1000” logo (registration: JA01WJ), with 223 passengers onboard—3 in First class, 49 in Business class, and 171 in Economy class (including Premium Economy), plus 2 infants. Flight tags of the A350-1000 and stickers of Ohtani were distributed as memorabilia.
JL16 departed from spot 112 at 5:08 PM. As it taxied to the runway, JL15, the last flight from Los Angeles using the 777-300ER, landed at Haneda Airport, providing a scene where the old and new aircraft passed by each other on the ground.
▲The last JL15 with 777-300ER (left) and the newly operated JL16 with A350-1000
The A350-1000 is JAL’s new international flagship aircraft, succeeding the 777-300ER, which was a mainstay for international flights. It first flew on the Tokyo/Haneda to New York route on January 24, 2024. The cabin is configured with 239 seats across four classes, consisting of 6 seats in First class with a “1-1-1” arrangement, 54 seats in Business class with a “1-2-1” arrangement, 24 seats in Premium Economy class with a “2-4-2” arrangement, and 155 seats in Economy class with a “3-3-3” arrangement. For the first time with JAL, First and Business classes feature private suites with doors. All classes have inflight entertainment (IFE) systems with 4K resolution monitors that can connect to wireless headphones via Bluetooth.
■Schedule JL16 Tokyo/Haneda (17:00) – Los Angeles (10:55) / June 30 JL16 Tokyo/Haneda (17:00) – Los Angeles (11:20) / From July 1 JL15 Los Angeles (13:40) – Tokyo/Haneda (17:25 +1) / June 30 JL15 Los Angeles (14:15) – Tokyo/Haneda (17:25 +1) / From July 1
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