JAL Receives 1st Brazil-Made Small Jet for Demestic Service

San Paulo, Oct. 3 (Jiji Press)–Japan Airlines on Friday received delivery of a small jet plane from a Brazilian maker, becoming the first Japanese carrier that will put a Brazil-made plane in domestic service.

JAL plans to introduce a total of 10 units of the small jet, nabbed E170, made by Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica S.A, or Embraer, by the end of March 2011.

The just-delivered 76-seat plane will be used by J-AIR, JAL’s domestic unit, for the Nagoya-Fukuoka and other routes from February 2009. The JAL group plans to operate the coming E170s on new routes, including the one between Fukuoka and Shizuoka, where an airport is scheduled to be opened in March 2009.

The plane offers more spacious seats and aisles and requires less operating costs than its peers in the class, according to the Sao Jose dos Campos, San Paulo-based major aircraft maker.

Ahead of a planned increase in the number of take-off and landing slots at Tokyo International Airport at Haneda in 2010, JAL is purchasing small jets instead of large ones to flexibly meet passenger demand.

Attending the day’s delivery ceremony at Embraer’s head office, JAL President Haruka Nishimatsu said the small jet “will enable the JAL group to develop business operations on its domestic routs more efficiently and take full advantage of the business opportunities that will arise from” the Haneda airport expansion.END

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