JAL stop flying Freight after 51 years! 

Yesterday, Japan Airlines announced it will ground its freighter operation after more than half a century of flying. It will continue its cargo business "solely" through cargo space on its passenger flights.

JAL, is in the process bankruptcy restructuring, its first freighter flight was on May 2, 1959, aboard a DC-4 from Tokyo Haneda to San Francisco.  JAL said it will suspend freighter service at the end of October due to poor "market conditions for international cargo. . .that are in a severe downturn." JAL said its "new cargo business structure. . .aims to secure a stable profit. . .that can boost the recovery of JAL's financial standing."

The company states it will be "maintaining access to almost all destinations currently served by its freighter flights with passenger flights," adding, "The airline will continue its cargo business by productively using the cargo holds of 508 weekly passenger flights flying 56 international routes and on 134 domestic routes with 904 daily one-way flights."

Its website says, JAL operated 11 freighters on 28 international routes at the end of its last fiscal year on March 31, 2009, comprising seven 747-400Fs, one 747-200F and three 767-300Fs. Of those aircraft, six were owned and five leased.