JPJet

JPJet

JPJet

game code

logo line

Founded

1 May 1999

Parent company

#group:nippon-airlines-group

Region

#region:asia

Headquarters

#country:japan Shinjuku City, Tokyo, Japan

Alliance

Frequent flyer program

JPJetMiles

Website

www.jpjet.com

Hubs/Bases

Tokyo-Narita, Osaka-Kansai, Sendai, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Ishigaki, Naha, Sapporo

Subsidiaries

JPJet Holidays

Slogan

Fly the fun way

Tags

#airline:jpjet

JPJet is a Japanese low cost airline based out of Tokyo-Narita International Airport. JPJet is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Airlines, and was founded by NAL on May 1st, 1999. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network operating a hub and spoke system. Some point to point flights are also offered by JPJet, though most are to smaller airports in the south of Japan, specifically the Ryuku Islands.

History

Formation and Early Days (1994-2002)

In the early 1990s, the Japanese aviation industry was changing. While NAL at this time was surprisingly successful and competing with struggling older carriers and newer post-deregulation airlines well, there was a clear gap in the market. By March 1994, Nippon Airlines began to conduct a series of studies on the feasibility of a low-cost division to complement the standard and premium model NAL operates with. A few months later, it was determined that a low cost division would indeed be feasible and profitable. 1996 was when management positions were determined for the nameless LCC, and NAL Management elected junior executive Ami Matsushiro to the position. The carrier was also named in 1998, being named JapanJet originally, but in April 1999, the name was changed to JPJet. JPJet would start out using old NAL aircraft, starting operations with three Boeing 737-400’s, two 737-300’s, and two 737-500’s. The airline was officially founded on May 1st, 1999 and would commence operations on June 13th, 1999 with routes from Tokyo-Narita to Kagoshima, Miyazaki, Sapporo-New Chitose, Naha, and Ishigaki. The inaugural flight departed on June 13th, 1999 at 07:00 as flight JP1 from Tokyo-Narita International Airport to Naha International Airport, operated by a Boeing 737-400. The inaugural flight garnered a lot of fanfare, and in the airline’s first few months of operations it gained quick popularity. The airline was admitted into the Stratus Alliance two months later on August 17th, 1999, which contributed even more to the popularity of the new LCC.

In 2000, new routes were started with the additions of three 737-400 and one 737-500 aircraft from NAL, this time starting services to Amami, Kumamoto, Kitakyushu, Hiroshima and Matsuyama. In May of 2000, NAL would transfer one Boeing 757-200’s and three Boeing 767-200ER’s to JPJet to feed new routes to Osaka-Kansai, Nagoya, and JPJet’s first international destination, Honolulu from Tokyo-Narita. The carrier would put through its first dedicated order for a new aircraft in October 2000, ordering five Airbus A320’s, five A319’s and three A321’s. In January of 2001, NAL would transfer the remaining 737 Classic aircraft in their fleet to JPJet, consisting of eight 737-300’s, six 737-400’s, and ten 737-500’s. Additionally, three more 757-200’s and five more 767-200’s were transferred to JPJet. These aircraft fed new routes from Tokyo-Haneda and their new base at Osaka-Kansai, including Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul and Shanghai. Smaller airports would be added to the JPJet network when the Dash 8-300 joined the fleet in August 2001. In late 2001, the airline would open its third base in Naha, launching inter-island flights and flights to the mainland on the 737 Classic fleet. January 2002 brought the first delivery of the A320 to the airline, which immediately would start to replace the 737. The replaced 737’s were transferred to Naha and later the smaller bases across Japan, while the major hubs and bases would get the new Airbus. After only three years with JPJet, CEO Ami Matsushiro, who founded the airline and led it to quick early success, retired and took control of Nippon Airlines, while NAL’s former CEO Kensuke Akagi would take the reins of JPJet.

Rapid Growth (2002-2011)

Kensuke Akagi immediately began rapid expansion of JPJet, ordering more A320 family jets to satisfy their growing demand out of Osaka. Even more 737's were ordered, this time the 737-700, 737-800, and 737-900, which all would arrive in between 2003 and 2006. A base in Sapporo was opened with a focus on passengers connecting into Hokkaido on holiday. JPJet would also launch their website in 2002, and the following year start up a package holiday business using new and leased aircraft operated by JPJet under the JPJet AOC that were not used for standard JPJet operations called JPJetHolidays. JPJet would inherit a fleet of 767-400ER’s and A340-300 aircraft from NAL’s merger with J-Island Air as well in 2003, which would go on to replace the 767-200 and to launch longer haul flights to the US and Canada. The first long haul flights launched would be to San Francisco and Los Angeles in August of 2003, and three months later flights to Sydney and Vancouver were started as well.

2003 would bring new 737NG deliveries which would be used to fuel the operations out of new Tokyo-Narita gate space. With more routes being started up, JPJet would see its first year of major profits come and go, with notable growth out of Okinawa and Sapporo fueling the success. JPJetHolidays would gain some A340-300's from NAL as well that year, and would launch international holiday flights to Denpasar, Bangkok, Sydney, Nadi, and Honolulu. In 2004, JPJet would launch more international services with their A340's, including the airline's longest ever service to London-Heathrow. The 737-900's were also delivered at this time, being deployed on many routes to Kyushu and the Ryuku Islands. On June 25th 2004, JPJet Flight 131 from Okinawa Naha International Airport to Ishigaki Airport overran the short runway at Ishigaki, causing the fatalities of 21 of the 133 passengers and crew on board the flight. The flight was operated by a Boeing 737-300 registered JA004J, the first of the 737-300's given to the airline by Nippon Airlines. The aircraft landed during a severe thunderstorm, and the crash was attributed to the slick runway at the airport being unable to capacitate fully loaded 737's in such severe conditions. JPJet would pay compensation to the victims, as would the airport authority. This event would be the first spark in the construction of New Ishigaki Airport.

2005 would bring more A320 and 737NG deliveries, with the first ever planes to be retired leaving the fleet in January 2005, both older built 737-300's. The first ever special livery for the airline would debut in 2005 as well, being named Miyagi One, hosting the flag of Miyagi Prefecture spread across the whole fuselage. Liveries for all the other prefectures would be made only if JPJet mainline aircraft flew to an airport in the prefecture. The most recent livery is 2026's Nagano One, which was added after JPJet launched flights to Matsumoto Airport after the delivery of the Airbus A220. A special livery for Pokemon also debuted in 2005 on the Boeing 737-800. Also in 2005 was an order for the 787-8 Dreamliner, which was made at the same time as NAL’s order for the 787. The aircraft was to be used for replacing the A340 and 767 in JPJet’s fleet. In late 2005, the 767-200 was retired from the fleet in favor of newer aircraft.