JAL placed a firm order for 10 Boeing 787-9 aircraft, the two companies announced on July 22, 2024, at the Farnborough International Airshow. The deal also includes options for 10 more airframes.
The 10 aircraft correspond to the 10 787-9s presented in the airline’s strategy back in March 2024, when the airline also announced it would order 32 Airbus aircraft. According to the strategy, the aircraft are expected to be delivered gradually from FY2027 (year starting April 1, 2027) and will be used on international flights.
At the time, JAL’s then-President Akasaka Yuji commented that a considerable portion of the new 787s would be joining JAL’s low-cost subsidiary ZIPAIR. The exact breakdown was not provided.
Currently, JAL operates over 50 Boeing 787s including over 30 of the shortest 787-8 variant and over 20 of the longer 787-9 variant. While it uses the latter exclusively on international flights, it uses the former on both international and key domestic routes. ZIPAIR currently operates eight 787-8s. The 787-9s from this order will be the airline’s first 787-9s.
