Jetstar Japan’s All-White A321LR Arrives at Narita Ahead of Rebranding

Jetstar Japan is making preparations for its planned rebranding in July 2027. As part of these efforts, a newly built Airbus A321LR (registration: JA29LR) painted entirely white arrived at Narita Airport on October 29.

JA29LR is the fourth A321LR for the Japanese airline. In anticipation of the transition to the new brand, it was delivered painted entirely white, without the conventional “Jetstar” logo or orange livery.

Although the aircraft was initially planned to carry the conventional Jetstar livery, the plan was reviewed after the decision to change brands. According to a Jetstar Japan representative, the manufacturing process was already well underway, making a major change to the paint design difficult. The airline therefore adopted an all-white paint scheme, which could still be accommodated. The fact that it will be easier to repaint in the new design in the future was also cited as one reason.

▲The first Airbus A321LR (registration: JA26LR) in the conventional livery

However, production or painting of some components could not be completed in time. The conventional orange color remains on the flap track fairings mounted on both wings and on the VHF antenna on the underside of the fuselage.

JA29LR features a revised cabin configuration from the airline’s three existing A321LRs, JA26LR through JA28LR. With the rear galley changed from a half galley to a full galley, the seating capacity has been reduced from 238 to 232 seats. The overhead baggage bins have approximately 40% greater capacity and can accommodate approximately 60% more pieces of carry-on baggage. In addition to the existing Type-A USB ports, Type-C ports have been added at every seat.

The aircraft was accepted at the Airbus factory in Hamburg, Germany, on October 23. It departed Hamburg at 10:13 a.m. on October 27 and arrived in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, at 9:18 p.m. the same day, both in local time. It then transited Fukuoka Airport before landing on Narita Airport’s Runway B at 2:35 p.m. on October 29, arriving at Spot 442R at 2:43 p.m.

It is expected to enter service in early November and will initially be deployed on high-demand domestic and international routes in its all-white livery. JA30LR, the airline’s fifth A321LR, is also scheduled to arrive at Narita Airport in all-white paint on October 31, bringing the A321LR fleet to five aircraft.

▲The first “transition-livery aircraft” to arrive at Narita Airport on September 24: an Airbus A320 (registration: JA18JJ)

As part of preparations for the transition to the new brand, an A320 (JA18JJ), the first “transition-livery aircraft,” arrived at Narita Airport on September 24. Based on its existing livery, the aircraft had its fuselage and vertical stabilizer logos painted over. JA29LR, however, was accepted from Airbus’s Hamburg factory already painted white.

Jetstar Japan plans to transition from the “Jetstar” brand to a new brand following the transfer of all shares held by its major shareholder, the Qantas Group. Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) will join as a new shareholder, and the company plans to shift to a management structure led by Japanese capital together with Japan Airlines (JAL) and Tokyo Century. The new brand name and aircraft design, initially scheduled to be announced in October, have been postponed until around January 2027. The transition to the new brand will proceed as scheduled in July 2027. Once the new design has been finalized, the airline plans to progressively repaint its fleet through overseas maintenance contractors.