JAL Express - History

History

JAL Express (JEX) was established on April 1, 1997, as a wholly owned domestic subsidiary airline of Japan Airlines (JAL), with an initial capital of ¥5.8 million. The airline operates scheduled passenger services to regional domestic destinations in Japan, as well as some low-demand flights for JAL under wet-lease agreement. It was anticipated that the airline may enter services on the domestic trunk and short-haul international routes. On July 1, 1998, JAL Express commenced operations from Osaka to Miyazaki and Kagoshima with two Boeing 737-400s, non-Japanese cockpit crew, and short-term contracted cabin attendants. The airline's cabin attendants are called Sky Cast, their duties include cleaning the 150-seat cabin between flights.

The airline celebrated its one millionth passenger in June 2000 and commenced wet-lease operation for its parent JAL in December 2000. On 14 November 2002, JAL introduced a new aircraft livery design - "The Arc of the Sun" - across all JAL Group fleet. A reception to celebrate the completion of the first painted aircraft with the JAL Group new design was held at the JAS M2 hangar. In April 2005, McDonnell Douglas MD-81 was introduced to the airline fleet, the aircraft has an all Economy Class configuration with 163 seats. JAL Express became an affiliate member of Oneworld on April 1, 2007, together with four of its sister airlines, in the alliance's biggest expansion in its young history. On the same day, the airline celebrated its tenth anniversary of establishment.

JAL Express welcomed the arrival of the new Boeing 737-800 to its fleet in January 2008 and celebrated the tenth anniversary of its first flight in July 2008. The airline operated its first international flight in May 2009 under a wet-lease agreement with JAL. It now flies to Hangzhou and Shanghai from Osaka (Kansai); and Hangzhou from Tokyo (Narita).

JAL Express pilot Ari Fuji became on July 9, 2010, the first female airline flight captain.