Japan Airlines (JAL) and Japan Air System (JAS) plan domestic airport reorganisation to improve efficiency, cut costs

Japan Airlines (JAL) and Japan Air System (JAS), now working towards complete integration by April 2004, have decided to reorganize operations at nine domestic airports in Japan where the two carriers and their subsidiaries currently operate duplicated services.

From April 2003 domestic flights to and from the nine airports will be operated and managed by one of the two companies. This applies not only to flights but also to airline operations' management, passenger and cargo handling and other related activities.

The reorganization will improve operating efficiency and help reduce costs through better use of resources.

From April 2004, JAL and its subsidiary JAL Express, will end current flights to seven airports in the islands of Kyushu and Shikoku.. These flights will be replaced by JAS aircraft and the management of the airline's facilities at these locations will be transferred from JAL to JAS.

JAS and its subsidiaries will transfer their operations at Naha, Okinawa, and Komatsu, in Ishikawa Prefecture on the Japan Sea coast, to Japan Airlines.

The two airlines also plan a further streamlining of their flights to domestic airports by improving schedule coordination and avoiding schedule duplication, for greater customer convenience. Details are to be announced in the New Year.