Zipair Tokyo, Japan Airlines' new long-haul low-cost airline

The airline Japan Airlines has launched a new long-haul low-cost airline. On March 8, 2019, Zipair Tokyo filed an application for a commercial transport permit with the Japanese Ministry of Transport.

Zipair Tokyo announcement in Tokyo

Recruitment will take place from April 2019.

The long-haul low-cost airline will initially operate 2 Boeing 787-8s from the parent company Japan Airlines. These will be configured in high density. Two additional aircraft will be added each year to Zipair Tokyo until it has a fleet of ten aircraft. This fleet will be in parallel with Jetstar Japan's short-haul services (low-cost subsidiary of JAL and Qantas) and will depend on Spring Japan's maintenance. Zipair Tokyo will offer flights from Tokyo-Narita to Bangkok and Seoul Incheon from 2020. This choice is explained by the absence of ETOPS certification for the airline at the moment (certification to operate aircraft more than one hour from an emergency airport).


The company could also fly to Las Vegas and Bali. Ultimately, Zipair Tokyo hopes to serve the west coast of the United States, Europe in 2021. Zipair's Managing Director, Hiroyuki Uehara, points out that the market in Asia is growing rapidly for long-haul low-cost airlines such as Air Asia X and Scoot.

The choice of a brand

Japan Airlines was looking for a short and dynamic English name to be open to the international market. In addition, the name of the Japanese capital Tokyo has been added to recall Japan.

A Zipair aircraft imagined (©Air and Space news)

Zipair is currently 100% owned by JAL but could then be expanded to include other investors. JAL expects to attract some of the 60 million foreign visitors that Japan hopes to welcome each year from 2030 onwards. The 2020 target is not chosen at random. JAL and its competitor All Nippon Airways plan to develop their long-haul low-cost airlines before the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.

Zipair website (in japanese)