In January 2022, Yamato Holdings and Japan Airlines announced that they would introduce scheduled cargo flights around Japan using Airbus A321P2Fs. The flights, operated by JAL’s low-cost subsidiary Spring Japan, will launch in April 2024.
Earlier this month, the first Yamato Holdings A321P2F was ferried to Japan, and today, the aircraft started proving flights in preparation for next year.
Yamato Holdings and JAL Partnership: The Basics
One of the main reasons behind the partnership being established is an upcoming change in Japan’s law related to the maximum number of hours truck drivers can work overtime. With the number going down to 960 hours a year from April 1, 2024, Yamato Holdings expects to face a driver shortage.
To mitigate that, it decided to switch some of its longer-distance shipping from trucks to aircraft and ordered three A321P2Fs – A321ceos converted from passenger to cargo aircraft.
Since Yamato Holdings doesn’t have an air operator certificate and prefers not to acquire one, it partnered with Japan Airlines. Originally, it was planned Jetstar Japan, a low-cost airline in which JAL has a minority stake, would operate the aircraft.
Given that it is the only JAL subsidiary with Airbus A320 series aircraft, it made sense. Ultimately, however, it was decided that Spring Japan – another of its low-cost subsidiaries, one in which JAL has a 70% stake – would operate the aircraft. Prior to receiving the first A321P2F recently, Spring Japan only operated Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
Yamato Holdings already acquired the three aircraft – all former Qatar Airways airframes made in 2010. The passenger-to-freighter conversion is being done by ST Engineering in Singapore. The aircraft will be registered as follows:
- JA81YA (ex-A7-AIA, already in Japan)
- JA82YA (ex-A7-AIC)
- JA83YA (ex-A7-AID)
First Yamato Transport A321P2F Starts Proving Flights
In preparation for entry into service, Spring Japan will operate proving flights using the A321P2F this month and in December. The first such flight, flight number IJ9625, took place earlier today from Tokyo Narita to Osaka Kansai. It took off from Narita’s runway 34L at 8:40AM and landed on Kansai’s runway 06L at 9:44AM.
For the remainder of November and in late December, the Yamato Transport A321P2F will fly up to six proving flights a day.
In November, it will fly twice on the Tokyo Narita – Kitakyushu – Osaka Kansai – Tokyo Narita triangle route. In December, it will fly between the same airports but on the first of the two daily triangles, the aircraft will stop in Osaka Kansai first, followed by Kitakyushu.
21 Flights per Day on Six Routes from April 2024
Once all three Yamato Transport A321P2Fs are in the fleet, they are expected to fly 21 daily flights on the following six routes:
- Tokyo Haneda – Kitakyushu
- Tokyo Haneda – Sapporo
- Tokyo Narita – Kitakyushu
- Tokyo Narita – Sapporo
- Tokyo Narita – Naha
- Naha – Kitakyushu
Yamato Transport expects to launch scheduled flights in April 2024.
Summary
The first of the three Yamato Transport A321P2Fs is in Japan now where it operated its first proving flight earlier today. Going forward, the aircraft – operated by JAL’s subsidiary Spring Japan – will operate up to six proving flights a day during the rest of November and in late December 2023.
Yamato Transport expects to start using the aircraft on scheduled cargo flights around Japan from April 2024. They will operate flights to and from Tokyo (both Haneda and Narita), Kitakyushu, Sapporo, and Naha.
