Japan Airlines to launch low-cost carrier

Japan Airlines is launching a low-cost carrier offering medium to long-haul flights, aiming to tap growing Asian demand for budget air travel, reports Reuters.

The new airline will be based at Narita International Airport and will offer flights to Asia, Europe, and the Americas, JAL said in a statement on Monday.

The as-yet-unnamed airline plans to start flying in the summer of 2020 with two wide-body Boeing 787-8 aircraft.

JAL will invest 10 billion yen to 20 billion yen ($91.44 million to $182.88 million) in the business, with the aim of reaching profitability within three years from the launch, the company said.

Budget flights have been slow to take off in Japan, which is dominated by full-service carriers JAL and ANA Holdings and has a sophisticated high-speed rail network, but with growing numbers of Asia travelers taking to the air, the two Japanese airlines are looking to expand their low-cost offerings.

"Full-service airlines typically have high costs, but in Japan this is especially so," said Will Horton, senior analyst at research consultancy CAPA Center for Aviation. "Japan needs new platforms to capture foreign visitors. They are not like the Japanese who are sticky in wanting to fly a costly Japanese full-service airline."

ANA has said it will launch medium-length international flights, potentially flying as far afield as India, as it integrates its low-cost carrier units under the Peach brand name.