Japan Airlines could order Airbus A220 or Embraer E2s, looking at turboprops for regional fleet
The Japanese airline is looking to renew its regional fleet, yet it has limited turboprop options.
Japan Airlines has inquired Airbus and Embraer for proposals to renew its fleet for regional routes, according to reports, with the Japanese airline also looking at additional turboprops for its regional subsidiaries.
Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, said that Japan Airlines is looking to acquire around 40 small narrowbody aircraft, including the Airbus A220 and Embraer E2, as well as up to 30 turboprops, to refresh its regional aircraft fleet.
The airline has not made a final decision on the order’s composition and how many firm and optional orders it would sign up for, Bloomberg’s sources stated, with the decision potentially being finalized before the end of March 2026, which would coincide with the end of the airline’s financial year.
According to Japan Airlines, the group’s full-service carriers providing domestic flights include Japan Airlines, J-Air, Japan Air Commuter, Hokkaido Air System, Japan Transocean Air (JTA), and Ryukyu Air Commuter.
During the first six months of the fiscal year, it carried 23.1 million passengers, split between 3.9 million international and 19.1 million domestic travelers, with total passenger numbers being up 10.5% year-on-year (YoY).
“We have also launched a project to promote regional tours for international visitors to Japan to attract them to regional areas.”
Nevertheless, the airline’s fleet that would be considered ‘regional,’ whether it would be turboprops or smaller narrowbody aircraft, is comprised of 13 ATR 42-600, two ATR 72-600, five De Havilland Canada Dash 8 Q400 (combi aircraft), 18 E170, and 14 E190s.
Some of the Japanese carrier’s 737-800s are also configured like small narrowbodies, with seven 737-800 aircraft having 12 business and 132 economy class seats. airBaltic, for example, has configured its A220-300s with up to 149 economy class seats, while Delta Air Lines has A220-300 aircraft with 12 first and 118 economy, including 43 Delta Comfort with extra leg room seats.
Its main Japanese rival, All Nippon Airways (ANA), became the first Japanese carrier to order the E2. During this year’s Paris Air Show in June, ANA firmed up an order for 15 E190-E2 aircraft, bolstering Embraer’s E2 backlog that has been largely underpinned by the E195-E2.
Comparing the A220-300 vs the E195-E2, for example, while both use engines from the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G family, the PW1500G and PW1900G, respectively, the former is larger than the latter.
According to Airbus, the A220-300’s exit limit is 160 passengers, with a typical two-class cabin seating between 120 and 150 passengers. Embraer’s technical page about the E195-E2 showed that the aircraft’s exit limit is 146 passengers, with a standard three-class cabin welcoming up to 120 travelers.
At the same time, considering that both are powered by the next-generation PW1000G family engines, the two types are suffering from engine durability issues, which have forced operators to ground their aircraft earlier than anticipated. In March, ch-aviation even reported that SalamAir delayed the deliveries of its E195-E2 aircraft due to problems with the PW1900G engine.
On the turboprop side, Japan Airlines has few, if any, options. ATR is still actively assembling turboprops, while De Havilland Canada, despite its earlier intentions, has yet to restart the production of the Dash 8 Q400, with the Canadian planemaker still offering an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Refurbishment Program to “‘keep the fleet flying’ with OEM refurbished and upgraded Dash 8 aircraft.”
During the company’s Q3 earnings call on November 4, Francisco Gomes Neto, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Embraer, confirmed that the Brazilian planemaker has axed its turboprop project that had the capacity to welcome up to 90 passengers.
Rytis Beresnevicius
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