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Japan Airlines (JAL) flew its Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight to New Delhi from Tokyo on May 1, 2012. With the launch of this new aircraft, the airline is hoping to lure more number of tourists taking outbound and inbound flights to India.
As per the announcement made by the Japan Airlines (JAL) on Monday, the airline has rolled out its newest Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight to New Delhi from Tokyo starting from May 1.
Country Manager of Japan Airlines, Yasushi Isomura was quoted in news reports as saying, “With the launch of the Dreamliner, India will become the second country in JAL’s operations to get this special high end aircraft. This reiterates our commitment to the Indian market.”
The first Dreamliner flight of Japan Airlines was launched to the US last week with flights to Boston.
“We operate five Tokyo – Delhi flights a week. From May 1, the Dreamliner will be used to operate four of these flights.” Sources quoted Mr, Isomura as stating while elaborating the plans of Japan Airlines.
JAL’s launch of the hi-tech plane on an India route is a significant move, as many industry experts maintain that foreign airlines do not generally utilize brand new aircraft for Indian operations.
With the launch of this new aircraft, JAL is hoping to lure a large number of leisure and corporate holiday makers booking outbound and inbound flights to India. Its Delhi-Tokyo flight draws flyers from other Indian metros, which amount to 10-15% of the total flyer count.
The wide body aircraft boasts a generous load capacity to accommodate a large number of travellers especially those seeking cheap economy class flights. Sources reveal that JAL’s Dreamliner currently offers 42 seats in business class, featuring the Executive Class JAL SHELL FLAT NEO seats for enhanced flying experience in a 2-2-2 configuration. Those looking for cheap flights to India connecting Delhi from Tokyo and vice versa have 144 seats in the economy class arranged in a 2-4-2 configuration!
The Indian Government’s decision to allow JAL to fly its Dreamliner on the New Delhi-Tokyo route reportedly comes as a set back for the national carrier of India, Air India, which was aiming to bag the honour of being the first carrier to operate the Dreamliner from any Indian airport.
Japan Airlines has ordered 45 Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Air India has ordered for 27 of these aircraft and anticipating getting at least three this year. India’s largest carrier by passenger number, Jet Airways’ Dreamliner on-order count is 10 aircrafts.