ROUTES - ZIPAIR to Offer Additional Service to Los Angeles, Honolulu, Vancouver and Seoul

Photo: Duncan Stewart

ZIPAIR Tokyo announced the decision to offer additional service between Tokyo Narita = Los Angeles, Honolulu, Vancouver and Seoul on the following dates.

More informations:

https://www.zipair.net/ja/notification/406

FLEET - Japan Airlines has announced the decision to introduce 17 additional B737-8 aircraft, along with 11 A321neo aircraft will be introduced to replace the B767 aircraft. In the international market, JAL plans to introduce 10 B787-9 and 20 A350-900

ZIPAIR *also introducing B787-9 aircraft by reassigning aircraft from JAL.

ROUTES - ZIPAIR TOKYO EXPANDS BANGKOK SERVICE IN 1Q25

Photo: K.C.Wong - LAX

ZIPAIR Tokyo in the first quarter of 2025 is expanding service to Thailand on limited time basis, as the airline this week announced it’ll operate 12 weekly Tokyo Narita – Bangkok Suvarnabhumi flight, between 26JAN25 and 28FEB25 (Tokyo departure). The airline currently operates 7 weekly flights with Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.

ZG055 NRT1430 – 1945BKK 788 x26
ZG051 NRT1700 – 2215BKK 788 D

ZG056 BKK0725 – 1510NRT 788 x37
ZG052 BKK2345 – 0730+1NRT 788 D

 

ROUTES - ZIPAIR NS25 SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA OPERATIONS – 05NOV24

ZIPAIR Tokyo last week opened reservations for San Francisco Bay Area service during Northern summer 2025 season, effective 30MAR25. The airline plans to operate following service with 787-8 Dreamliner.

Tokyo Narita – San Francisco 1 daily

ZG026 NRT2130 – 1445SFO 788 D
ZG025 SFO1645 – 2000+1NRT 788 D

Tokyo Narita – San Jose CA 5 weekly

ZG030 NRT1625 – 0940SJC 788 x25
ZG029 SJC1140 – 1450+1NRT 788 x25

Photo: Duncan Stewart

 

Zipair took delivery of another B787-8

 

While still aiming to have 10 aircraft by 2025 as planned. The latest aircraft will help launch three new routes, with Taipei and the US West Coast as candidates.

Photo: Duncan Stewart - LAX
B787-8 - JA822J

ZIPAIR New Tail Livery 787-800 Dreamliner (JA822J)

hsckcwong

ZIPAIR removes "Z" from tail

ZIPAIR has announced it will adjust its livery, removing the large "Z" from its tails. Starting 18 June 2022, the "Z" will be covered by a few rows of dotted lines and as of December, the tails will be painted completely with rows of the dotted lines. The airline is making this adjustment as the letter "Z" has become the symbol of the Russian invasion in Ukraine. 

The low-cost, long-haul, brand of Japan Airlines announced the change while also announcing it will launch flights between Tokyo-Narita and San Jose (CA) in December 2022. Next to this destination, the airline also flies from Narita to Bangkok, Honolulu (HI), Los Angeles (CA), Seoul and Singapore. ZIPAIR does this with a fleet of four B787-8s.

Illustration by ZIPAIR.

Japan's ZIPAIR confirms North American debut for late 4Q21

ZIPAIR Tokyo (ZG, Tokyo Narita) will make its intercontinental debut this Christmas (December 25) with 3x weekly flights between Tokyo Narita and Los Angeles Int'l in the United States.

Operations are onboard B787-8s, of which the JAL Group budget carrier operates two. ZIPAIR President Shingo Nishida told a media conference last week that a third B787-8, JA824J (msn 34834), is expected to enter service in late December while a fourth of the type, also ex-JAL - Japan Airlines inventory, will be put into service by the end of March next year. The budget airline is also expecting new-build jets from Boeing (BOE, Chicago O'Hare), although their delivery has been delayed due to manufacturing problems.

Based out of Tokyo Narita, ZIPAIR currently serves four destinations: Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, Seoul Incheon, Honolulu, and Singapore Changi. Given the impact of COVID-19 on travel demand, the LCC is active in the cargo niche. According to Nishida, his ideal ratio of passenger to cargo sales is 1:4.

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Japan's ZIPAIR eyes US ops in early 4Q20

ZIPAIR Tokyo (ZG, Tokyo Narita) has applied for a US Foreign Air Carrier Permit and exemption authority as it hopes to launch flights to Hawaii in October 2020.

"As relates to the United States, ZIPAIR plans initially to operate daily nonstop scheduled combination flights using B787-8 aircraft between Tokyo Narita and Honolulu Daniel K. Inouye International Airport beginning around the start of the IATA winter 2020 season. ZIPAIR also intends to expand its operations to other points within the United States in the future," the low-cost carrier, a subsidiary of JAL Group, said.

The start-up secured its Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) in July 2019 and planned to launch commercial flights in mid-May 2020, initially connecting Narita to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi. However, it admitted in its filing with the US Department of Transportation (DOT) that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected and thus forced the deferral of these plans. As such, it has yet to settle on a revised launch date although it remains hopeful that its second route, to Seoul Incheon, will still commence on July 1 as planned.

ZIPAIR will operate two B787-8s initially, both of which are leased from JAL - Japan Airlines (JL, Tokyo Haneda) and configured for 290 passengers, with 18 seats in business class and 272 in the economy. It plans to add two more B787-8s per year going forward.

The Japan-Hawaii market is one of the key Pacific leisure markets. Barring the current impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the market is served by seven airlines: JAL, ANA - All Nippon Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and 5th-freedom operators Korean Air and AirAsia X

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Japan`s First Medium to Long-Haul Low-Cost Carrier "ZIPAIR Tokyo" Now Established!

Boeing 787-8 aircraft at Tokyo-Narita airport, as the carrier prepares to launch international flights on May 14, 2020.
*Aircraft: Boeing 787 -8 (Seating capacity: 290 seats)
*Flight Route and Tentative Start Date

- Tokyo (Narita) = Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) from May 14, 2020
- Tokyo (Narita) = Seoul (Incheon) from July 1, 2020
B787-8 - JA822J



Masahiko Tamura
Osaka Kansai (KIX / RJBB)
Japan