Why is JAL resuming flights to France at a time when Japan has not reopened its borders and it is advisable to avoid Tokyo, which has been hit by a new wave of infections? What markets is the airline targeting?
Gilles Binard - The resumption of our commercial flights on the Paris-Tokyo began on 1st July at a rate of two flights a week. In July, flight JL046 departs from Paris every Wednesday and Sunday. Flight JL045 from Tokyo operates on Tuesdays and Saturdays. In August and September, the number of flights will be increased from two to three per week. Flight JL046 will take off from Paris on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Flight JL045 from Tokyo will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The pandemic remains quite unpredictable. However, we believe that working with bodies such as IATA, the International Civil Aviation Organization and various governments to implement a whole range of measures to deal with the health crisis is the best way to reduce risksmake it possible to unlocking savings and meet air transport needs in the immediate future. There is demand from passengers wishing to return to their country of origin, and from expatriates posted abroad, particularly in Japan, whose repatriation has been planned.
Are you facilitating transfer traffic or are the conditions for a transfer just as complicated?
Gilles Binard - Entry requirements for Japan remain unchanged very strict - For example, a visa is required for a French passenger - and a passport is required for a French passenger. connection in Tokyo on a domestic flight is not possible quarantine on arrival.
Why this return to Paris? What type of aircraft and what frequencies are planned in Europe?
Gilles Binard - For Europe, the reopening of services from Tokyo in July not only concerns Paris as well as all our other rotations departing from Frankfurt, Helsinki and LondonThere will be two flights a week from Paris and Frankfurt to Tokyo and three flights a week from Helsinki and London. In August and September, three flights a week will be operated on all our routes between Europe and Japan. Regular flights between Tokyo and London (JL043/JL044) have been maintained since the start of the pandemic in Europe. Services from Tokyo to Moscow and Vladivostok remain closed from July to September.
What are the new ground and in-flight health measures? What services are now available on board?
Gilles Binard - As far as our health measures are concerned, the safety of our passengers and staff, on the ground and in the air, remains our absolute priority. To this end, the airline is reinforcing its hygiene standards to ensure a worry-free journey. At the airport, check-in counters and contact surfaces (such as check-in kiosks and other equipment) are regularly cleaned and disinfected. Plexiglass protectors have also been installed at these counters. Our ground staff wear protective masks and visors. Ground markings and boarding by groups of 10 to 20 people maximum facilitate physical distancing. Hydro-alcoholic gel is available throughout the airport. In Japan thermal cameras located in secure areas and infrared thermometers are used to monitor the temperature of passengers at airports. On board, we ask our passengers to wear a mask as soon as they arrive at the airport and on board our aircraft. Masks must also be worn by our cabin crew, as well as gloves when serving meals. Hydro-alcoholic gel is available to passengers in the toilets. Our aircraft are equipped with an air purification system with HEPA filters as effective as in an operating theatre, with air purification and renewal every 3 minutes. The cabins of our machines are thoroughly disinfected every night, including seat armrests, individual screens, any shared storage space and any frequently used contact surface. Due to the health crisis, it is temporarily impossible for Business/First passengers to book meals in advance. Finally, our catering offer is also adapted to the current context. All our preventive measures against COVID-19 are described in a video on youtube.
Is the company trying to promote premium services (premium Eco, C and F)?
Gilles Binard - La First class will be available again on our direct flights between Paris and Tokyo for trips from 1 August. For the time being, the safety and health of our passengers is our main concern and we are concentrating our efforts on gradually reopening our routes. Our international flight schedule remains reduced, with 90% of passenger traffic in August and 89% in September. However, to continue to facilitate trade, the airline will be operating around 800 flights a month all year round. cargo ship.
What are the next steps in the normalisation of JAL's business: what are your prospects for reopening routes, increasing frequencies, and when do you expect to offer a service and network similar to the pre-COVID situation?
Gilles Binard - Since 3 July, JAL has resumed flights to Singapore - with 3 flights a week to Singapore from Tokyo Narita and 2 flights a week from Singapore. And since 9 July, JAL has reopened its route between Tokyo Narita and Dalian with 2 flights a week. As already mentioned, our routes from Paris and Frankfurt will be ramping up in August and September, with 3 flights a week compared with 2 flights a week in July. On our domestic network, and since the end of restrictions on domestic travel by the Japanese government on 19 June, we have seen a recovery in demand of around 35%. For August 2020, we expect demand to recover by 80% compared with the same period in 2019, and we will therefore be able to operate 90% of our domestic flights.
Flight times between Paris and Tokyo (local time) :
| Flight | Line | Departure time | Arrival time | Days of the week |
| JL046 | Paris-Tokyo | 19h00 | 13h55 | Wed, Fridim |
| JL045 | Tokyo-Paris | 10h40 | 16h15 | Tue, Thu, Sat |
(Compared with July, the extra day of operation in August/September is shown in bold)
