Japan Transocean Air

"Southwest Air Lines" redirects here. For the United States airline, see Southwest Airlines. For other uses, see Southwest Airlines (disambiguation).

Japan Transocean Air

IATA ICAO Callsign NU JTA JAY OCEAN
Founded	June 20, 1967 (as Southwest Air Lines)
Hubs	Naha Airport
Focus cities	Ishigaki Airport
Alliance	Oneworld (affiliate)
Fleet size	13
Destinations	15
Parent company	Japan Transocean Air Co., Ltd.
Headquarters	Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan
Key people	Takeshi Ichinosawa (Chairman/President)
Employees	718 (31 March, 2014)
Website	www.jal.co.jp/jta

Japan Transocean Air headquarters

Japan Transocean Air Co., Ltd. (日本トランスオーシャン航空株式会社, Nippon Toransuōshan Kōkū Kabushiki-gaisha), or JTA, is an airline based in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It operates domestic services. Its main base is Naha Airport. From 1967 until 1993, the airline was known as Southwest Air Lines.

History

A Southwest Air Lines Boeing 737-200.

A JTA Boeing 737-400 in former Southwest Air Lines livery at Chūbu Centrair International Airport, Nagoya, Japan. (2013)

The airline was established on 20 June 1967 as Southwest Air Lines (南西航空, Nansei Kōkū), and started operations in July 1967. It changed its name in July 1993. It has 718 employees (at March 2014) and is owned by Japan Airlines (51.1%), Naha Airport Terminal (17%), Okinawa Prefecture (12.9%) and others (19.1%)

It flew Convair 240s until new capital from JAL allowed it to upgrade to NAMC YS-11s, and eventually Boeing 737s. JTA occasionally lends aircraft to JAL in the event of equipment failure. JTA also provides maintenance services for JAL Group Boeing 737-400 aircraft. JTA owns 72.9% of Ryukyu Air Commuter.

Corporate affairs

At one time the head office of Southwest Air Lines was at 306-1 Kagamizu in Naha.

Destinations

A Japan Transocean Air Boeing 737-400.

A Japan Transocean Air Boeing 737-400 in a special livery.

Honshū

• Chūbu region
  • Ishikawa Prefecture
    • Komatsu (Komatsu Airport)
• Chūgoku region
  • Okayama Prefecture
    • Okayama (Okayama Airport)
• Kansai region
  • Osaka Prefecture
    • Osaka
      • Kansai International Airport
      • Osaka International Airport
• Kantō region
  • Tokyo
    • Ōta (Haneda Airport)

Kyūshū

• Fukuoka Prefecture
  • Fukuoka (Fukuoka Airport)
  • Kagoshima (Kagoshima Airport)

Ryukyu Islands

• Okinawa Prefecture
  • Ishigaki (New Ishigaki Airport)
  • Kumejima (Kumejima Airport)
  • Miyakojima on Miyako Island (Miyako Airport)
  • Naha on Okinawa Island (Naha Airport)
  • Yonaguni (Yonaguni Airport)

Shikoku

• Ehime Prefecture
  • Matsuyama (Matsuyama Airport)
• Kōchi Prefecture
  • Kōchi (Kōchi Ryōma Airport)

Former destinations

• Ryukyu Islands
  • Okinawa Prefecture
    • Shimojishima in Miyakojima (Shimojishima Airport)

Fleet

Japan Transocean Air Boeing 737-429

The Japan Transocean Air fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of June 2014):

Japan Transocean Air fleet

Aircraft	In Fleet	Orders	Passengers (Economy)	Notes
Boeing 737-400	13	0	156	To be retired by 2017 and replaced by Boeing 737-800.
Boeing 737-800	1	15	TBA	With 10 options, 5 each to be delivered in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Total	13	15

Previously operated

• Boeing 737-200
• Boeing 767-200
• NAMC YS-11

Accidents and incidents

Since the airlines foundation there has only been one accident and that was under the former Southwest Air Lines brand.

• On 26 August 1982, Southwest Air Lines Flight 611, a Boeing 737-2Q3, registration JA8444, overran the runway at Ishigaki Airport and was destroyed. None of the 138 passengers and crew were killed but some were injured during the emergency evacuation.

External links

• Official website (Japanese)