In a move reflecting the gradual deregulation of the country's air-travel industry, financially troubled Japan Air System (JAS) is to scale back domestic operations this year.
An airline source says that JAS is putting the finishing touches to a plan likely to reduce service on 40 to 50 routes by shifting to partial or seasonal services on minor routes. "Between 60 to 70 of our 100 domestic routes are in the red, and we want to reduce or suspend about two-thirds of them", he says, adding that low passenger numbers this winter have meant that some 30 smaller routes have been halted.
Although definitive figures are not available, the source says that the airline's results for the current financial year will "not be good", and that the outlook for 1998 is even worse.
All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines (JAL) have also cut back on a handful of flights during their winter period, but plan to re-instate them for the Japanese summer season. JAL points out that only since deregulation in 1996 have airlines been allowed to cut routes.
Source: Flight International
