News
Japan Airlines subsidiary accepts first ATR 72-600
November 2nd 2018
Japan Air Commuter (JAC), a Japan Airlines (JAL) Group subsidiary, took delivery of its first ATR 72-600 last Monday. Read More » The domestic carrier converted one of its orders for the smaller ATR 42-600 to the ATR 72-600 in June. JAC has fitted the aircraft with 70 seats.
“The performance of our existing ATR fleet has been highly satisfactory and this acquisition of an ATR 72-600 will allow us to be more flexible with our operations, matching capacity to demand more efficiently,” said JAC president, Hiroki Kato.
“Following the successful introduction of the ATR 42 in Japan last year there is no better proof of the quality of our aircraft than seeing the ATR 72-600 ready to fly in Japan. Regional aviation provides vital connectivity to countries all over the world, increasing tourism and boosting local economies,” ATR CEO, Stefano Bortoli, said.
Founded in 1983, JAC is based at Kagoshima Airport, in Southern Japan. The JAL Group has a 60% shareholding in the regional carrier. The remaining equity is jointly held by the 12 municipalities of the Amami Islands.
The first ATR 42-600 entered service with JAC in early 2017 and “the up-gauging of this order reflects the -600’s ability to effectively open and grow routes with the lowest possible risks,” said ATR. The ATR 42 and 72 share a single type rating and have 90% spare parts commonality.
JAC has taken delivery of five ATR 42-600s and has two of that variant on order. Its fleet is five ATR 42-600s, the just delivered ATR 72-600, three Bombardier Q400s and six Saab 340Bs. The airline flies 70 flights a day to 18 routes.
This week JAL posted a 2.3% decrease in first-half operating profit, to JPY96.8 billion (US$855 million), as a result of a 23% jump in fuel costs. The carrier’s revenue for the six months to September 30 grew 8.4%, to JPY750 billion. JAL’s attributed net profit declined 5.9% during the period, to JPY73.3 billion.
