Japan Air Lines has confirmed that it will cease operating its daily Tokyo Narita-Brisbane service from September this year as a part of the airline’s restructuring.
A statement issued by Brisbane Airport notes that the airline had met with airport management in February to brief it on the circumstances of the cancellation. In November 2009, JAL downsized the service from a Boeing 747 (pictured) to a 767-300, and the airport says that since then it has been operating with high load factors.
“JAL’s letter to BAC stated unequivocally that once their restructure was complete and the company had returned to profitability, JAL would be seeking to reinstate the Brisbane-Narita service, possibly using Boeing 787 aircraft,” the airport said.
The move by JAL has not been unexpected as the Tokyo-Brisbane route appeared on a list of likely route cuts which was leaked last year. JAL is planning to cut a number of domestic and international routes as part of a wider range of measures to fight its way out of bankruptcy.
