Yamato Transport launches domestic cargo flights under Spring Japan's operations

 Report, photos copyright by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

Major Japanese shipping company Yamato Holdings Co. Ltd. has launched domestic cargo flights in the name of Yamato Transport in April 2024 in cooperation with the Japan Airlines group to tackle the looming labour shortage in the logistics industry.

Yamato Holdings and the Japan Airlines group unveiled an Airbus A321-200P2F cargo aircraft in Narita on 20 November 2023.

The maximum payload is 28 metric tons, equivalent to the total freight of five to six 10-ton trucks. Yamato Transport has up to three planes and aims to fly a total of nine daily flights between Narita and New Chitose (Sapporo), Kitakyushu and Naha airports, and between Naha and Kitakyushu airports from 11 April 2024.

Yamato Transport also intends to open additional routes in summer 2024 on which cargo jets take off and land at Tokyo's Haneda Airport late at night and early in the morning, bringing the total number of flights to 13 per day, with plans to eventually increase the number of daily flights to 21.

Yamato Transport commercial executive officer Tatsuya Suzuki explained the significance of the plan, commenting, "The amount of cargo we handle is expected to continue to grow, making it difficult to provide stable transportation. This is not a problem that can be solved only by dedicated cargo planes; it is important to combine planes with trucks, trains and ferries. Cargo planes will handle express parcel deliveries."

Yamato Transport aircraft's body is grey with the black and yellow symbol of a parent cat holding a kitten in its mouth on the front of both sides, and the silhouette of a parent cat's and kitten's face on the tail. The Japan Airlines group is responsible for aircraft maintenance and cargo unloading, and low-cost carrier Spring Japan is operating the flights on behalf of Yamato Transport.

The Yamato group is introducing its first dedicated cargo aircraft in response to the "2024 problem," a shortage of truck drivers due to an increase in the amount of cargo handled and stricter regulations on overtime work.