31-Jan-2006 9:21 AM
Japan Airlines - new domestic airports to boost JAL’s domestic network
Analysis
TOKYO (Japan Airlines) - Japan Airlines’ domestic network will be boosted in February and March with the opening of two new airports in Japan, Kobe Airport in the Kansai region near Osaka, and Kitakyushu Airport, in northeast Kyushu, southernmost of the four main islands of Japan.
Kobe Airport
Located on man-made Kobe Port Island, the new Kobe Airport is scheduled to open for business on February 16,2006. From opening day, JAL will fly between Kobe and six destinations in Japan - including initially two round trip flights each to Tokyo's Haneda Airport, Sapporo, Okinawa and Kagoshima, with daily flights to Sendai in northeast Japan and Kumamoto in Kyushu.
Kobe – Haneda Code share with Skymark from April
From April 1st, Japan Airlines (JAL) and Skymark Airlines (SKY), a Japanese domestic airline, will join forces in code share flights between Kobe and Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.
Under the code share agreement, the two airlines will together operate five daily round trip flights between Kobe and Tokyo. JAL aircraft and crew will operate two round trip flights and SKY will operate three round trips with its aircraft and crews.
As a result of the code share, JAL will now offer five round trip flights a day on the Tokyo-Kobe route, an increase of three round trips on their originally planned schedule of two daily services. SKY will be able to offer nine round trip flights daily, an increase of two round trip flights per day on their original plan, thanks to the code share with JAL. The increase in flight choices brought about by the code share is aimed at increasing customer convenience.
From February 16 when the airport opens for commercial flights until March 31 inclusive, JAL will make two round trip flights between Kobe and Tokyo and SKY will make seven round trip flights, according to their original plans. Both airlines operate from Terminal One at Haneda Airport.
With the opening of Kobe, the JAL Group will be able to further expand its network in Japan’s Kansai area through the three airports in the region, including Kansai International, which offers international and domestic flights and Osaka’s Itami Airport, which provides domestic services.
New Kitakyushu Airport
On March 16, operations will begin at the New Kitakyushu Airport. Located just 20 minutes via rail from downtown Kokura City, this modern offshore facility with a 2,500-meter runway will replace the current landlocked Kitakyushu Airport, providing both better service and the opportunity for larger aircraft to operate to and from this important commercial and industrial center.
Three JAL Group carriers will operate from Kitakyushu on three routes. JAL Domestic will make six daily round flights to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, an increase of one flight per day on the present five daily flights, all currently operated by 134-seat MD-87 series aircraft.
The new schedule will include three round trip flights using larger 290-seat A300 aircraft. Japan Transocean Air (JTA) will operate a daily round trip Boeing 737 flight to Naha, Okinawa, and J-Air, JAL’s commuter subsidiary, will operate three daily round trip flights by Bombardier regional jets (CRJ-200) to Nagoya’s Komaki Airport on JAL’s behalf, under a JAL flight number.
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