JAL to Equip 777 Fleet With Boeing Class-3 EFB

Boeing and Japan Airlines International have announced that the airline will equip its entire current and future fleet of Boeing 777 jetliners with the Boeing Class-3 electronic flight bag, following a validation trial conducted in 2007.

Japan Airlines (JAL) has 40 Boeing 777s in service and has been operating the electronic flight bag (EFB) on two 777s as part of a validation trial since June 2007. Retrofit kit installation for the remaining fleet of 777s will begin in April 2009 and all installations should be complete by the end of the 2011.

JAL is scheduled to take delivery of three more 777-300ERs in 2008, all of which will be delivered with the EFB installed. The EFB, which also is standard on the 787, is designed to fit seamlessly giving JAL an unparalleled ability to connect these airplanes across its entire enterprise.

Mitsuo Koga, vice president of flight operations engineering at JAL, said: “The Boeing Class-3 EFB is a key aspect of our vision for future operations. EFB allows us to create a link between our airplanes and ground teams and helps us to be safer and more efficient in our operations.”