Yamato Holdings Co., a prominent Japanese home delivery service company, marked a significant milestone on Thursday with the inauguration of its maiden cargo plane service. The route spans between Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture, adjacent to Tokyo, and Naha Airport in Okinawa Prefecture, situated in the southernmost region of Japan.
Operated by Spring Japan, a subsidiary low-cost carrier within the Japan Airlines group, this venture represents Yamato’s proactive response to the impending challenges posed by the “2024 problem.” This coined term encapsulates the anticipated decline in transport capacity, attributed to potential shortages of truck drivers, amidst the implementation of new overtime regulations effective this month.
In a strategic move to mitigate these impending constraints, Yamato has diversified its transportation arsenal by incorporating cargo planes, adorned with the iconic “Kuroneko” black cat logo synonymous with the company, alongside its existing fleet of trucks, trains, and ferries, which have long facilitated its long-distance transport services.
The inaugural cargo plane, a reconfigured version of an Airbus A321 passenger aircraft, boasts an impressive cargo capacity of up to 28 tons, equivalent to the load carried by five to six 10-ton trucks.
Under a lease contract encompassing three cargo planes, Yamato’s operational blueprint envisages an initial schedule of nine daily flights across four routes. This includes not only the Narita-Naha connection but also routes linking Narita with New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost prefecture. Future plans entail a substantial ramp-up, with aspirations to escalate the daily flight frequency to 21, thereby further bolstering the efficiency and resilience of its logistical network.
