On February 19, 2024, JAL operated its first dedicated freighter flight in over 13 years. The flight was operated by the first of the three 767-300ERs it plans to convert from passenger aircraft into freighters, JA653J.
The first flight took the aircraft from its base at Tokyo Narita to Taipei Taoyuan Airport as flight JL6719. Then the aircraft flew to Nagoya Chubu as flight JL6718 before flying to Seoul Incheon on February 20, 2024. The aircraft completed its first run on the triangle route it will operate going forward by flying from Seoul Incheon to Tokyo Narita as flight JL6750.
JAL Cargo expects to receive the second 767-300BCF later this month and the final, third one in FY2025 (at some point between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026).
The airline has plans to add its second route, between Tokyo Narita and Shanghai Pudong, from March 1, 2024. The route will operate six days a week and five of those, it will make a brief stop at Nagoya Chubu Airport on the way to Shanghai.
Before the airline had to declare bankruptcy in the past, at one point or another, it operated freighters including the DC-8-60F, multiple variants of the 747, and the 767-300ERF. Most recently, it operated the 767-300ER and 747-400 freighters including some in an eye-catching bare metal livery.
Currently, in addition to the 767-300BCF, JAL’s subsidiary Spring Japan also started operating A321P2F converted freighters for the Japanese logistics company Yamato Transport.
