Can Japan Airlines restructure after bankruptcy?
Months of speculation came to an end on Tuesday afternoon as Japan Airlines (JAL), the country’s 59-year-old flagship carrier that once symbolized the strength of Japan Inc., filed for bankruptcy with two of its subsidiaries. Weighted by debts estimated at $25.6 billion (2.3 trillion yen), Japan Airlines Corp., Japan Airlines International and JAL Capital made history today as what is perhaps Japan’s largest nonfinancial corporate failure. With a long record of unprofitable earnings, the airline has taken a hit from weak travel demand after SARS and H1N1, fuel surcharges and the global recession. Rather than going belly up, however, Asia’s largest airline by revenue is getting the lift it needs to stay in the sky – but not without shedding some bulk. With the government keen on keeping Japan’s largest carrier in business, JAL is now set to transition into a three-year, state-backed restructuring plan. Before JAL’s filing on Tuesday, Transport Minister Seiji Maehara said, “The governmen
