Andrzej Jeziorski/SINGAPORE Andrew Mollett/TOKYO
Japan Airlines (JAL) and Japan Air System (JAS) are planning to launch joint international services from late October in what is seen as a significant move towards closer co-operation among the country's three major airlines. The carriers were expected to make a formal application to Japan's transport ministry in early September. If approved, the partnership would mark the first time that the erstwhile rivals have co-operated internationally.
Fellow Japanese major All Nippon Airways (ANA) says it is considering a codeshare with JAS, and could make a decision in mid-September.
JAL is taking over slots from three JAS services from Tokyo Narita to China which are being dropped, while ANA says that JAS will abandon two additional services, which could free slots for ANA/JAS codeshares.
JAL will provide aircraft and flightcrews for its JAS codeshare flights. Each of the carriers will market the flights under their own names and flight numbers. JAS is suspending services to Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Xian to vacate slots for the joint services, which will become routes to the USA or South Korea. JAS confirms that the carriers have been in talks, but says that nothing has been decided. JAS says it is willing to drop the routes because of a sharp drop in demand during winter.
One airline analyst says that a JAL/JAS partnership "would make sense", given JAS's weak financial position and low passenger traffic. "In fact, if this does get off the ground, I could see other similar deals taking place in the future," the analyst adds.
Source: Flight International
