Japan Airlines’ upcoming low-cost arm Zipair Tokyo has begun pulling back the curtain on its branding, with designs of its aircraft livery and crew uniform unveiled on Thursday.
The budget carrier, which will fly medium- and long-haul routes, is aiming to begin operations next summer in time for Japan’s hosting of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, initially flying to Bangkok and Seoul from Tokyo Narita.
A rendering showcasing Zipair’s aircraft livery, adorning a Boeing 787-8 aircraft that the airline plans to operate on its Bangkok and Seoul routes, is a simple almost retro-style design.
It features a thin, green stripe that runs the length of the fuselage designed to suggest “the aircraft flying straight toward its destination like an arrow”, according to the airline. This is accompanied by the airline’s name emblazoned low on the side towards the nose of the aircraft.
On the tailfin is a lone, black letter “Z” in an unassuming font, with the only colour coming from the very subtle grey background and an oddly positioned green line at the bottom.
The uniforms, meanwhile, have been developed by fashion designer Taro Horiuchi, founder of the eponymously named fashion label.
These come in a few slightly different designs that allow members of the cabin crew and ground staff to coordinate different aspects of the uniform depending on the work they will be doing as well as weather and mood. In particular, this includes the use of trainers as footwear for the uniform in order to prioritise “ease of movement and reduction of fatigue”.
The men’s attire is a more or less conventional suit, while the women’s uniform comprises long coats or vests, jackets, a blouse and a neck scarf. The designs suggest a largely monochrome black and white colour scheme with a bit of green on the women’s neck scarves otherwise being the only dash colour.
Japan Airlines isn’t the only legacy, full-service carrier shoring up its presence in the low-cost market. Last month, Hong Kong’s flag carrier Cathay Pacific announced that it had agreed to a deal to acquire budget airline HK Express, with the deal expected to be completed by December 31.
