Japan Airlines (JAL) has announced it will start a budget carrier in time for summer 2020 as Tokyo hosts the Olympic games.
JAL stated that the carrier will operate medium to long-haul routes as international traffic into the country spikes during the games.
JAL will set up the airline as a subsidiary and it will operate routes from Narita International Airport to spots in Asia, Europe and North and South America. The carrier will begin with two Boeing 787-8 aircraft.
Within Japan, only 10% of traffic is currently handled by low-cost carriers. This is expected to rise to 30% in the near future.
The Japanese government is aiming to boost the number of foreign visitors to the country to 60 million by 2030.
