J-Air Co., Ltd. (株式会社ジェイエア Kabushiki Gaisha Jei Ea) is an airline company owned by Japan Airlines (JAL). It operates feederliner jets on an intercity network in four main islands in Japan outside Greater Tokyo Area. Its main base is in Nagoya Airport (IATA Airport Code NKM). After February 17, 2005 opening of Chubu Centrair International Airport, it is the only airline that uses the relegated Nagoya Airport for scheduled transport services. It also has a smaller hub in Osaka International Airport (Itami Airport: ITM). Its IATA airline designator is XM, but all the seats are sold by the name of JAL therefore every ticket will carry JL after JAL.

Destinations

• Akita Airport (AXT), Akita Prefecture
• Fukushima Airport (FKS), Tamakawa, Fukushima near Koriyama
• Hanamaki Airport (HNA), Hanamaki, Iwate near Morioka
• Kochi Airport (KCZ), Kochi Prefecture
• Matsuyama Airport (MYZ), Matsuyama, Ehime
• Miyazaki Airport (KMY), Miyazaki Prefecture
• Nagoya Airport (NKM) (hub), Aichi Prefecture
• New Chitose Airport (CTS, Chitose, Hokkaido near Sapporo)
• Niigata Airport (KIJ), Niigata Prefecture
• Obihiro Airport (OBO), Obihiro, Hokkaido
• Osaka International Airport (ITM) (hub) serving Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe
• Yamagata Airport (GAJ), Yamagata Prefecture

Fleet

• CRJ-200 × 6 (two more by March 2006)

History

(J-Air's autobiograph in Japanese)

On April 8, 1988, JAL Flight Academy Co., Ltd. (JFA) was founded in Hiroshima Nishi Airport in Hiroshima, Hiroshima.

In April 1991, a new division of JFA was created to operate scheduled services to succeed the troubled Nishi Seto Airlink services.

In September 1991, a nineteen-passenger Jetstream 31 (JS31) replaced Embraer EMB110 Bandeirante from Nishi Seto. JS31s were progressively added to the fleet.

On August 8, 1996, J-Air Co., Ltd was founded in Hiroshima, Hiroshima to identify itself as an airline.

From April 2001, government subsidy termination required J-Air self-sufficient. In the JAL group's marketing strategies it found its niche in segments where 100-plus-passenger Boeing 737s were too large and frequent service were in demand. Fifty-passenger CRJ-200s progressively replaced five JS31s until completion in August 2003.

On February 17, 2005, it was relocated to Nagoya Airport (NKM) near Nagoya, Aichi to access the larger market opportunity.

External links

• J-Air website (in Japanese)
• Japan Airlines (Global English homepage: for schedule and booking information including J-Air)

See Also

• Air Central, J-Air's direct competitor in Nagoya, Aichi market