JAL eyes discount network for post-coronavirus tourism
12 October, 2020
Japan Airlines really wants to create a low-cost carrier network with three of its discount carriers to tap leisure travel that, unlike business travel, could rebound as the coronavirus wanes, the business president said.
"Aviation won't go back to what it was before and business travel demand might even shrink further. One of our targets is tourism," Yuji Akasaka told a media briefing.
Japan Airlines' three low-cost regional carriers include Jetstar, which it operates with Qantas Airlines, Spring Airlines Japan, a joint venture with China's Spring Airlines, and its wholly owned ZIPAIR unit.
Akasaka did not say whether Japan would seek to formally merge their procedures through acquisitions.
Japan Airlines, like other carriers, has been hammered by a collapse in international air travel to in regards to a tenth of what it had been prior to the coronavirus outbreak, but has seen domestic flight demand rebound helped by a government campaign to promote tourism.
"The impact of this campaign has been significant and in late September entering October we are seeing traveler numbers increase to about 50% of what these were this past year," Akasaka said.
To survive the downturn popular, which Japan Airlines expects to last until at least 2024 on international routes, Akasaka said the carrier would look to boost income from non-airline businesses such as for example drone parcel deliveries.
Japan Airlines last month announced a tie-up with Matternet, to launch the U.S. company's urban drone logistics business in Japan. This season, it also committed to a German start up, Volocopter, that's developing air taxis.
Source: japantoday.com