Jetstar Japan, a low-cost carrier (LCC) in which Japan Airlines has a 50% stake, decided on Thursday to suspend operations on six of its 24 domestic routes starting Oct. 25.
The routes have been experiencing sluggish demand due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. It is considered to be a de facto withdrawal, as the Narita, Chiba Prefecture-based company has no plans for resuming the flights.
The affected routes consist of three connecting Kansai Airport with Fukuoka, Kumamoto and Kochi, two connecting Chubu Centrair International Airport with New Chitose and Kagoshima, and one connecting Narita Airport with Shonai. The company had planned to operate them as part of its winter schedule until next March. The pandemic has caused the company to continually reduce flights; it will cut 374 round-trip flights in November on routes that will remain in operation.
At the same time, the company will close the Kansai Airport base where its pilots and flight attendants are stationed. According to the company, employees working at Kansai will be transferred to bases at Narita and Chubu airports.
The company posted a net loss of 7.7 billion yen in its non-consolidated financial results for the fiscal year that ended June 30, and in September, offered buyouts or unpaid leave to all 600 pilots and flight attendants to reduce personnel costs. It will offer buyouts again in line with the suspension of the six routes.
--Zipair finally ready for takeoff
Zipair Tokyo, an LCC established by Japan Airlines in 2018 to operate on international routes, announced on Thursday that its first passenger flight will take off on Oct. 16.
The airline will operate two weekly round-trip flights between Narita and Seoul through March next year.
The company's passenger flights were originally scheduled to start in May, but were postponed due to the spread of the coronavirus. The company had been operating cargo flights instead.
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