For several years now, Japan Airlines has been an operator of the Airbus A350, but until it introduced the A350-1000 earlier this year, its fleet never flew outside Japan. Instead, its fleet of 15 (originally 16, 1 written off as JL516) is configured in a high-density, 369-seat configuration and is used on high-capacity domestic routes throughout Japan, replacing the non-ER 777-200s and 777-300s that were retired during the COVID-19 Pandenic in 2021. JAL has a history of using widebody aircraft on high-demand domestic routes, beginning with the Boeing 747SR-100 in 1973, and continuing through to today with the Raccoon. Currently, its longest A350-900 route is from Haneda Airport in Tokyo to Naha on the island of Okinawa.
Server: Solo
Airline: Japan Airlines
Aircraft: Airbus A350-900
Origin: Haneda Airport, Tokyo, Japan (HND)
Destination: Naha Airport, Naha, Japan (OKA)
Flight Number: JL901
Route: RJTT-RJOAH
Seat: 46A (Economy)
Time En Route: 2 Hours 18 Minutes
Waiting to board for the quick hop down to Okinawa
Flaps down, both engines running, and ready to taxi
Powerful takeoff and rapid climb to our cruising altitude of 30,000 feet over Tokyo Bay
Cruising east of Kyūshū
Descending into Okinawa
Landing on Runway 18R at Naha, which was built from reclaimed land to accommodate increased traffic and completed in 2019
Taxiing to the gate
Deplaned while our aircraft, JA04XJ, is getting ready to return to Tokyo as JL902