ZIPAIR

Is ZIPAIR safe?

Yes. ZIPAIR, the low-cost long-haul airline owned by Japan Airlines, has flown since 2020 without an accident, a serious incident or any public action by Japan's regulator. It flies eight Boeing 787-8s from Tokyo Narita. We score it 86, close to Peach (87) and above its parent Japan Airlines (83), which lost an A350 in the Haneda runway collision of 2024 and has had several pilot alcohol cases.

The catch is time. ZIPAIR's record covers six years and a fleet that has never been larger than eight aircraft, so a clean sheet tells us less than ANA's or Peach's. Our confidence is medium for that reason.

How is ZIPAIR linked to JAL?

ZIPAIR is wholly owned by JAL, but it is a separate airline. It received its own air operator certificate from Japan's transport ministry in 2019 and flies under its own codes (ZG and TZP) with its own pilots and cabin crew. Under our rules, an airline with its own certificate and code is scored on its own record, and nothing on ZIPAIR counts against JAL's page or the other way round. We checked: JAL's page counts no ZIPAIR event.

The tie to JAL is still close. ZIPAIR's first four aircraft came from JAL's fleet. The first, JA822J, was JAL's second 787, which arrived in Japan in March 2012 and flew JAL's first 787 route, Narita to Boston. JAL retired it in September 2019, and it came back from repainting in Xiamen in ZIPAIR colours a month later. ZIPAIR's first 787-9s will also be transfers from JAL, from the second half of 2027.

ZIPAIR planned to start passenger flights from Narita to Bangkok in May 2020. The pandemic stopped that, so it began on 3 June 2020 flying only cargo, and its first passenger flight went to Seoul Incheon on 16 October 2020.

What does ZIPAIR fly?

Only the Boeing 787-8. CEO Yasuhiro Fukada said in July 2026 that ZIPAIR flies eight, expects two more by the end of March 2027 and wants more than 20 aircraft within five years, though delivery delays are slowing it down.

The 787 is a current-generation type with fly-by-wireFly-by-wireA flight control system in which the pilot's inputs go to computers, which then move the control surfaces. Many such systems also stop unsafe manoeuvres.More in the glossary controls, a composite airframe and modern engines, which is the strength of this factor. The weakness is age. ZIPAIR's aircraft are not new: its first was built for JAL around 2012, and as its first four all came from JAL, much of the fleet is likely more than ten years old. Neither ZIPAIR nor JAL publishes an average age for it. We score the fleet 84, below Starlux (95), whose aircraft were all delivered new, and above JAL's mixed fleet (80).

What has the regulator found?

Nothing public. The Japan Transport Safety Board's database has no accident or serious incident for ZIPAIR, its list of open investigations has none, and we found no strict warning or business improvement order from MLIT. That stands out in Japan, where the regulator has acted repeatedly over pilot drinking at JAL, Skymark and Peach.

Japan's Civil Aviation Bureau holds FAA Category 1FAA IASAThe US FAA's check of whether a country's aviation regulator meets ICAO standards. Category 1 means it does; Category 2 means it does not.More in the glossary, and the JTSB publishes detailed reports in Japanese and English, so serious events here rarely stay hidden. ZIPAIR is not an IATA member, which means we cannot confirm an IOSAIOSAThe IATA Operational Safety Audit, an international audit of an airline's safety management and operations. Every IATA member must pass it.More in the glossary audit; we score oversight the same as Peach for that reason.

Who should be careful

ZIPAIR's network runs from Narita to Asian cities, Honolulu and North America, all well-equipped airports. The real risks for passengers are ordinary ones:

• Turbulence over the North Pacific. Jet-stream turbulence is the most common cause of injuries on long flights between Japan and North America. Keep the belt loosely fastened whenever you are seated.
• Typhoons. Between about June and October, storms can close Narita or South-East Asian airports at short notice. Rebook rather than wait for a marginal departure.
• Narita's night curfew. A flight that runs late can miss Narita's closing time and end up delayed overnight or diverted. That is a nuisance, not a safety problem, but leave slack in your onward plans.

How we scored it

The accident record (88) is clean but short, which keeps it out of the top band. Oversight (86) reflects Japan's strong regulator without a confirmed IOSAIOSAThe IATA Operational Safety Audit, an international audit of an airline's safety management and operations. Every IATA member must pass it.More in the glossary audit. The fleet (84) is all current-type 787s but not young. Serious incidents (85) is clean on the public record, and environment scores 86. Overall 86, with medium confidence because six years with eight aircraft is a small sample.