Earlier this year, JAL’s subsidiary Spring Japan applied for permission to operate flights from Tokyo Haneda Airport. On June 13, Japan’s Transport Council recommended that the country’s transport minister approve Spring Japan’s application. Rather than operating passenger flights out of Tokyo Haneda, the low-cost airline plans to operate cargo flights on behalf of Yamato Holdings.
The airline needs approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism due to Haneda, like Tokyo Narita, Itami, Kansai, and Fukuoka, being classified as a “congested airport.” Should the airline receive the final go-ahead, it plans to serve two destinations – Kitakyushu and Sapporo New Chitose – using Airbus A321P2F aircraft from August 1, 2024.
The flights to Kitakyushu will operate as follows:
- IJ431 / Tokyko Haneda – Kitakyushu / 4:55AM – 6:40AM
- IJ430 / Kitakyushu – Tokyo Haneda / 1:40AM – 3:15AM
The flights to Sapporo will operate as follows:
- IJ411 / Tokyo Haneda – Sapporo New Chitose / 4:15AM – 5:55AM
- IJ410 / Sapporo New Chitose – Tokyo Haneda / 1:20AM – 3:00AM
Yamato Holdings partnered with JAL to operate a fleet of Airbus A321P2F aircraft in response to changes in law limiting the amount of overtime truck drivers can work. While initially Jetstar Japan, an airline in which JAL holds a minority stake and already operates Airbus A321s, was meant to operate the aircraft on Yamato’s behalf, ultimately the operations were delegated to Spring Japan in which JAL has a majority stake.
Spring Japan started operating revenue flights using the Yamato A321P2Fs on April 11, 2024, and currently flies them from Tokyo Narita to Sapporo New Chitose, Kitakyushu, and Naha, as well as between Kitakyushu and Naha.
