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Two separate airline companies - Japan Airlines International and Japan Airlines Domestic - operate under the brand name of JAL. On September 1, 2006, the two companies will merge into a single brand, called Japan Airlines. JAL Corporation also owns seven smaller airlines which feed or supplement mainline JAL flights.
Japan Air Lines Co., Ltd. was established in August 1951 when in the aftermath of Second World War, Japanese government recognized the need for a reliable transportations system for economic reconstruction of Japan. In 1953, Japanese Parliament passed an Act paving the way for a new state-owned Japan Air Lines. Japan Airlines began its international service on February 2, 1954 when it flew from Tokyo to San Francisco. In 1972, Japanese government granted flag carrier status to JAL.
In 1987, Japan Airlines was completely privatised, and the other two airlines in Japan, All Nippon Airways and Japan Air System, were permitted to freely compete with JAL on domestic and international routes. In 2001, Japan Air System and Japan Airlines agreed to merge. On October 2, 2002, they established a new holding company called Japan Airlines System, forming a new core of the JAL Group. The new merged entity was sixth largest in the world by passengers carried, and the third largest in terms of revenue.
JAL has several distinctions to its name. JAL has the largest fleet of Boeing 747s in the world. It is one of only two Asian airlines to fly to Latin America. JAL fleet consists of modern aircrafts like Airbus A300-625R, Boeing 737-400, Boeing 747-100, Boeing 747-200, Boeing 747-300, Boeing 747-400, Boeing 767-200, Boeing 767-300, Boeing 767-300ER, Boeing 777-200, Boeing 777-200ER,
Boeing 777-300, Boeing 777-300ER, Boeing 787, McDonnell Douglas MD-81, McDonnell Douglas MD-87, and McDonnell Douglas MD-90. JAL flies to several destinations worldwide. In India, Japan Airline flies to New Delhi.