UPDATE: While today’s flight from Sydney to Tokyo Haneda was originally supposed to be the aircraft’s last flight, the aircraft will operate one more roundtrip to Sydney with JL52 on August 20, 2024, scheduled to be the last flight now.
JAL’s Boeing 777-300ER registered JA734J is currently operating its last commercial flight, flying from Sydney to Tokyo Haneda as flight number 52. The aircraft will be the airline’s first 777-300ER to be retired as part of JAL’s switch to the Airbus A350-1000.
For nearly 20 years, the 777-300ER was JAL’s flagship aircraft. Including the one about to be retired, JAL operates a total of 13 777-300ERs. It took delivery of the first one, JA731J, in June 2004, and the last one, JA743J, in October 2009. The airframe set to retire first is the fourth one the airline took delivery of from Boeing. Having been delivered in July 2005, it is just over 19 years old.
JAL is currently taking deliveries of 13 Airbus A350-1000s it ordered in 2013 as its new flagship, replacing the 777-300ER fleet one-to-one. It took delivery of the first airframe in December 2023, deploying it on its Tokyo Haneda – New York JFK route from January 24, 2024. Earlier this month, it took delivery of the fifth airframe.
Three more A350-1000s are expected to join JAL’s fleet within this fiscal year (i.e., by the end of March 2025), with the remaining five following in fiscal 2025. JAL expects to fully finish replacing the 777-300ERs, its last remaining 777 variant since 777-200ERs’ retirement late last year, with A350-1000s at some point in calendar 2026.
The A350-1000s offer completely revamped cabins with JAL’s first first and business class suites with doors. They are equipped with 239 seats opposed to the 777-300ERs 244. Those include six first class seats (vs. eight on the 777-300ER), 54 business class seats (vs. 49), 24 premium economy class seats (vs. 40) and 155 economy class seats (vs. 147).
JAL currently uses the A350-1000 on its flights from Tokyo Haneda to New York JFK and Dallas with London Heathrow expected to follow later this fiscal year. The 777-300ER continues to operate a variety of routes primarily to Europe and the United States.
