Japan Airlines was founded in August 1951, and has since grown to become one of two major international carriers in Japan (the other being All Nippon Airways). Today, the oneworld member operates a fleet of over 140 aircraft to around 100 destinations across the world, including London Heathrow (LHR), New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), and San Francisco (SFO).
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Japan Airlines is one of the world’s largest operators of the Airbus A350, and flies two variants of the passenger aircraft – the A350-900 and the A350-1000. The latest data from ch-aviation shows that the carrier’s fleet currently consists of 15 A350-900s and eight A350-1000s, with a further 23 A350-900s and five A350-1000s on order. Each of Japan Airlines’ A350s can carry up to 391 passengers, depending on the configuration, as shown in the table below:
Aircraft |
First class |
Business class |
Premium economy |
Economy class |
Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Airbus A350-900 (v1) |
12 |
94 |
– |
263 |
369 |
Airbus A350-900 (v2) |
12 |
56 |
– |
323 |
391 |
Airbus A350-1000 |
6 |
54 |
24 |
155 |
239 |
Most of Japan Airlines’ flights with the Airbus A350 begin or end at the carrier’s hub at Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND). Using data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, what are Japan Airlines’ busiest A350 routes by number of flights scheduled between January 2025 and November 2025?
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8
Tokyo Haneda (HND) – Osaka International (ITM)
9 flights
Japan Airlines has just nine flights scheduled with the Airbus A350 in each direction between Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) and Osaka International Airport (ITM), which is also known as Itami Airport. All nine flights will be flown in January 2025 with the A350-900, with the carrier deploying a mix of aircraft on the rest of its flights between the two airports, including the Boeing 737-800, 767-300ER, and 787-8.
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At just 250 miles long, Tokyo Haneda to Osaka International is the shortest route to feature in this list. Japan Airlines goes head-to-head with All Nippon Airways on what is the fourth-busiest domestic route from Tokyo Haneda Airport, with a total of 5,496,000 passengers carried last year across all airlines, putting it behind the following three busiest domestic routes:
- Sapporo (CTS) – 9,007,000 passengers
- Fukuoka (FUK) – 8,647,000 passengers
- Naha (OKA) – 5,919,000 passengers.
7
Tokyo Haneda (HND) – London Heathrow (LHR)
333 flights
From January 2025 to November 2025, Japan Airlines will operate a total of 333 flights with the Airbus A350 in each direction between Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) and London Heathrow Airport (LHR), equating to one flight per day.
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The carrier deploys its Airbus A350-1000s, with the Boeing 787 operating its other daily service between the two cities. Japan Airlines faces direct competition on this high-profile route from All Nippon Airways and fellow oneworld member British Airways.
6
Tokyo Haneda (HND) – Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)
334 flights
Japan Airlines also plans to deploy the Airbus A350-1000 on its daily service between Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). This equates to a total of 334 flights in each direction between January 2025 and November 2025.
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Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is a major hub for Japan Airlines’ oneworld partner, Japan Airlines, providing ample connection opportunities for passengers. Last year, Tokyo Haneda was the 15th-busiest international route from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, with a total of 212,000 passengers over the 12-month period, split between Japan Airlines and American Airlines.
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5
Tokyo Haneda (HND) – New York (JFK)
668 flights
From January 2025 through November 2025, Japan Airlines plans to operate 668 flights with the Airbus A350 in each direction between Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) and New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). This represents a double-daily service, and at 6,773 miles long, it is the longest route to be included in this list and the second between Japan and the US.
Photo: Joanna Bailey | Simple Flying
As with the carrier’s other international routes flown by the Airbus A350, the A350-1000 variant will be used on services to and from New York. All Nippon Airways and American Airlines also connect the two airports, while United Airlines flies from Tokyo Haneda Airport to Newark Libert International Airport (EWR).
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4
Osaka International (ITM) – Naha (OKA)
668 flights
Between January 2025 and November 2025, Japan Airlines scheduled 668 flights with the Airbus A350 from Osaka International Airport (ITM) to Naha Airport (OKA) in Okinawa.
Photo: Suparat Chairatprasert | Shutterstock
This is the only route flown by Japan Airlines’ Airbus A350s that does not touch Tokyo Haneda Airport. All Nippon Airways also flies between the two airports, making it the second-busiest route from Osaka International Airport over the past 12 months, with a total of 923,000 passengers across both carriers. The busiest routes from Osaka International Airport are shown below:
- Tokyo Haneda (HND) – 5,274,627 passengers
- Naha (OKA) – 923,000 passengers
- Sendai (SDJ) – 894,000 passengers
- Sapporo (CTS) – 817,000 passengers
- Kagoshima (KOJ) – 701,000 passengers.
3
Tokyo Haneda (HND) – Naha (OKA)
2,743 flights
Japan Airlines’ third-busiest route with the Airbus A350 is between Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) and Naha Aiport (OKA). From January 2025 through November 2025, the oneworld carrier plans to operate a total of 2,743 flights each way between the two cities, equating to up to 10 flights per day. All these flights will be flown with the A350-900 variant.
Photo: viper-zero | Shutterstock
Japan Airlines goes head-to-head with All Nippon Airways, Skymark Airlines, and Solaseed Air on the route. Naha Airport is the sixth-busiest airport in Japan, and is the gateway to the Okinawa province. It is connected to cities across East Asia, including Seoul Incheon (ICN), Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Singapore (SIN), and Shanghai Pudong (PVG).
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2
Tokyo Haneda (HND) – Fukuoka (FUK)
3,792 flights
Between January 2025 and November 2025, Japan Airlines will operate a total of 3,792 flights with the Airbus A350 each way between Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) and Fukuoka Airport (FUK). All flights on the 548-mile route will be flown by the A350-900 aircraft.
Photo: Kittikun Yoksap | Shutterstock
Fukuoka Airport is the fourth-busiest airport in Japan, and sees flights from across the region, operated by the likes of:
- China Eastern Airlines
- Jeju Air
- Singapore Airlines
- Vietnam Airlines.
1
Tokyo Haneda (HND) – Sapporo (CTS)
4,265 flights
Japan Airlines’ busiest route between January 2025 and November 2025 in terms of the number of flights operated by the Airbus A350 is Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) to New Chitose Airport (CTS) in Sapporo. The carrier plans to operate a total of 4,265 between the two cities, all of which with the A350-900.
Photo: viper-zero | Shutterstock
Japan Airlines goes head-to-head with Air Do, All Nippon Airways, and Skymark Airlines on this popular route. In 2024, a total of 11,931,000 passengers flew between Tokyo Haneda and Sapporo across all four airlines, making it the second-busiest flight route in the world. The five busiest routes last year were:
- Seoul Gimpo (GMP) – Jeju (CJU) – 14,183,000 passengers
- Tokyo Haneda (HND) – Sapporo (CTS) – 11,931,000 passengers
- Tokyo Haneda (HND) – Fukuoka (FUK) – 11,335,000 passengers
- Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) – Hanoi (HAN) – 10,631,000 passengers
- Sydney (SYD) – Melbourne (MEL) – 9,217,000 passengers.
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All of these routes are served at least daily.
Japan Airlines’ busiest flight routes with the Airbus A350 between January 2025 and November 2025 are summarized in the table below:
Route |
Number of flights |
---|---|
Tokyo Haneda (HND) – Osaka International (ITM) |
9 |
Tokyo Haneda (HND) – London Heathrow (LHR) |
333 |
Tokyo Haneda (HND) – Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) |
334 |
Tokyo Haneda (HND) – New York (JFK) |
668 |
Osaka International (ITM) – Naha (OKA) |
668 |
Tokyo Haneda (HND) – Naha (OKA) |
2,743 |
Tokyo Haneda (HND) – Fukuoka (FUK) |
3,792 |
Tokyo Haneda (HND) – Sapporo (CTS) |
4,265 |
Japan Airlines was involved in the first major accident and first hull loss of the Airbus A350 on January 2nd, 2024, when Flight 516 was landing at Tokyo Haneda Airport following a flight from Sapporo. The aircraft collided with a Dash 8 operated by the Coast Guard. Unfortunately, five of the six occupants of the Dash 8 were killed, but miraculously, everyone onboard the Airbus A350-900 survived. Japan Airlines subsequently went on to order an extra A350 to replace the lost aircraft.
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