Yamaguchi-Ube Airport on the western side of Honshu in 1995. Non-scheduled operations commence with a single Pilatus Britten-Norman PBN-2A Islander.
The fleet is increased in 1996-1998 to also include 2 leased Cessna 208 Caravan Is and 3 Dornier 228-200s.
It is understood that operations continue during the remainder of the decade. Exact information is unavilable.
JAPAN TRANSOCEAN AIRWAYS COMPANY, LTD.: 3-24 Yamashita-Cho, Naha-shi, Okinawa, 900, Japan; Phone 81 (98) 8572112; Fax 81 (98) 858-2581; http://www.210.174.160.218/jta; Code NU; Year Founded 1993. Based at Naha City on Okinawa, 25-year-old Southwest Airlines Company, Ltd. is renamed in July 1993. Chairman Keiichi Inamine and President Michio Okumo continue to oversee a workforce of 835 and operate a fleet that includes 6 owned and 1 leased Boeing 737-2Q3As, 1 chartered B-737-205A, 2 B-767-246s, including 1 leased from Japan Air Lines Company, Ltd. (2), the carrier’s principal owner. Also in the fleet are 5 NAMC YS-11A-500s and 4 de Havil-land Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otters leased to Ryukyu Commuter, Ltd. Orders are placed for four B-737-4Q3s.
From Naha City, interisland flights continue to be offered in the Okinawa (Rack) Group, including the communities of Ishigaki, Miyako, Kume, Yoron, Shimoji, Yonagumi, Nagoya, Okayamu, and Matsuyama. Services are also undertaken from Kagoshima Miyako to Tokyo and from Ishigaki to Tokyo.
Enplanements for the year total 11,304, but there are fiscal losses: $41.92 million (operating) and $43.11 million (net).
The workforce in 1994 totals 740 and the first B-737-4Q3 is received in late June.
Customer bookings skyrocket 99.5% to 2,260,603 while freight does even better, climbing 124.7% to 13.79 million FTKs. Revenues inch up 0.8% to $331.32 million, while expenses are up 0.1% to $370.78 million. The loss picture worsens as the operating loss is $46.18 million and the net rises to $47.54 million.
Airline employment is increased by 5.6% in 1995 to 764. The previous year’s good traffic fortune is reversed somewhat.
Passenger boardings decline 5.8% to 2,129,380 and cargo is off by 23.1% to 10.66 million FTKs. Cost-cutting measures greatly improve the financial picture. Although revenues fall 19% to $273.65 million and expenses are down 27.1% to $276.08 million, the operating loss is cut to $2.43 million and the net loss is down to $1.34 million.
The workforce is reduced by 1.8% in 1996 to 750. The owned fleet includes 5 YS-11-A-500s and 5 B-737-2Q8As; also operated, under charter, are 1 B-737-2Q8A, 3 B-737-205As, 3 B-737-205As, and 3 B-737-4Q3s, 1 of which is chartered from Japan Air Lines Company, Ltd. (2). Four owned de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otters are leased to Ryukyu Air Commuter, Ltd.
Enplanements surge 31.1% to 2,024,511 and freight soars 24.6% to 8.63 million FTKs.
The workforce is increased by 1.3% in 1997 to 760.
A total of 155 domestic flights are cancelled on June 27 by Japan Air System, Ltd., Japan Air Lines Company, Ltd. (2), All Nippon Airways Company, Ltd., Air Nippon Company, Ltd., and Japan Transocean as the result of a tropical storm and tornado.
The carrier’s 15 aircraft haul 2,130,703 passengers, a 5.3% increase. Cargo jumps 8.4% to 9.36 million FTKs.
Facing significant fiscal loses, executives at parent Japan Airlines Company, Ltd. (2) agree in mid-March 1998 on a new package of costcutting measures. They also join their colleagues at All-Nippon Airways Company, Ltd. (ANA) and Japan Air System, Ltd. in taking a tough stand against the pilot’s unions, finally cutting the practice of paying flyers for 65 hours of flight time a month regardless of actual flight time.
The flyers at Japan Transocean are considerably more upset about this policy than their fellow pilots at JAL are. To combat this move against their contracted time and benefit package, they begin staging a series of periodic work stoppages on March 28. Through April 7, the carrier is forced to cancel 22 flights.
Customer bookings inch up 0.9% to 2.11 million just as freight traffic dips 1.5% to 9.22 million FTKs.
By the beginning of 1999, airline employment has been cut 1.3% to 750. Customer bookings jump 4.6% to 2,209,000.
The workforce at the beginning of 2000 totals 750. The B-737-400 fleet now includes 8 Dash-4Q3s and 3 Dash-4K5s.
Having worn a rhinoceros logo advertising the clothing chain Papas since November 1998, the B-737-4Q3 involved begins sporting a new jumping sailfish figure in January. On March 3, another B-737-4Q3 is given a “Kyushu-Okinawa Summit 2000” logo promoting the upcoming G8 meeting between Japan, the U. S., the U. K., France Germany, Italy, Canada, and Russia.
As a result of a March 14 strike threat by a number of its pilots and flight attendants, the airline cancels 6 of the 20 services from Okinawa to Tokyo (HND), Osaka, and Kagoshima and 19 of 52 Okinawa interisland flights.
World History
