Japan Airlines, or JAL, as many other airlines in this post-covid phase is looking to renovate and modernise its operations. In particular the airline will be be replacing some of its ageing short haul planes with some more fuel efficient Boeing 737 MAX. Let’s take a closer look at the Japan Airlines Boeing 737 MAX order.
The Japan Airlines Boeing 737 MAX Order
The Japanese carrier has placed a substantial order with American manufacturer Boeing. JAL will be acquiring 21 narrow body Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. These are the second smallest variant of the type that Boeing produces.
The order order will see the Japanese airline purchase 21 Boeing 737 MAX 8. The airline will receive the planes integrating them into their fleet from year 2026.
Replacing the Older 737-800
These new generation Boeing 737 MAX 8 will serve to replace the older and ageing 737NGs that at the moment are in the Japan Airlines fleet. Specifically the new jetliners will replace the Boeing 737-800. At the moment JAL operates a fleet of 43 Boeing 737-800 variant, so we can also expect to see another order for similarly sized planes in the coming future to replace the remaining Boeing narrow body jets.
This switch will allow the Japanese carrier to fly routes with a significantly lower environmental footprint as well as offering passengers a more pleasant and quiet flight experience.
Capacity and Layout of The JAL Boeing 737 MAX 8
The 737-8 can accomodate up to 210 passengers in an all Economy Class layout. However it is more likely that Japan Airlines will utilise the planes in a more classic legacy 2 class configuration. That should bring the capacity down between 160 and 180 passengers.
Wether it’ll be closer to 160 or 180 passengers will depend mainly on if the airline will choose to fit a domestic layout or an international one. The domestic layout JAL uses on its 737 has a higher seat density compared to the international one.
