Japan Airlines bid farewell to its scheduled Boeing 777-200ER flights on November 12, 2023, marking the culmination of its phased retirement plan for the aircraft. A dedicated farewell ceremony had already taken place on October 26 to honour the long-serving type.
The concluding journey was undertaken by the carrier’s last remaining Boeing 777-200ER, registration JA703J (msn 32891), which executed its final commercial round trip between Tokyo Haneda and Okinawa Naha. With a distinguished service record spanning 20.8 years since its delivery to JAL in 2003, the aircraft boasts a seating capacity of up to 312 passengers, including 26 in the business class section. Operating predominantly from Haneda, it had been a fixture on domestic routes connecting Tokyo with Okinawa Naha, Sapporo Chitose, Nagoya Chubu, and Fukuoka.
Japan Airlines had initially operated a fleet of eleven Boeing 777-200ERs, but the retirement of all B777-200s and B777-300s was completed by April 2021 due to concerns related to the Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engine issues. Notably, the carrier’s current Boeing 777 fleet comprises thirteen B777-300(ER)s.
Furthermore, the retirement timeline for the Boeing 777-200ER was extended from September to November 2023, a strategic decision aimed at ensuring operational continuity during the challenging typhoon season.