A successful partnership spanning more than 50 years: Japan Airlines & ExxonMobil

Making smart decisions has helped Japan Airlines (JAL) become one of the world’s premier carriers. 

“Many decisions have contributed to our successes and choosing the right suppliers is one of them,” says Hiroki Haraikawa, General Manager of Engine Maintenance Center at Japan Airlines. “We’ve relied on ExxonMobil lubricants to fly our planes safely for more than 50 years and given this, we believe this partnership is essential.” 

The relationship started in the early 1960s when JAL began using Mobil Jet™ Oil II, a high-performance aircraft-type gas turbine lubricant, which it still uses today. Anchored by mutual trust and respect, the partnership continues to grow. Today, JAL also uses Mobilgrease™ 33 grease and Exxon HyJet™ hydraulic fluids. 

 

“We value ExxonMobil’s support in our ongoing efforts to become the world’s most valued and preferred airline,” 
- Hiroli Haraikawa, General Manager of Engine Maintenance Ceter at Japan Airlines

 

“ExxonMobil’s expertise and lubricant solutions help maximize the performance of our fleet.” 

Not surprisingly for a company that prides itself on punctuality, JAL has an enviable track record for fleet efficiency. Recently, JAL was named the world’s best airline for its on-time performance service by FlightStats Inc., an independent, aviation performance-tracking company. With an on-time arrival rate of 89.44 percent for domestic and international flights in 2015, JAL topped the rankings for the Major International Airlines and Asia-Pacific Major Airlines categories. 

“We’re proud of our achievements but we spend little time admiring them,” Haraikawa said. “Instead, we focus on how to stay ahead of the industry and deliver outstanding experiences for our passengers.” 

This forward-looking philosophy is what propels JAL to seek out best-in-class lubrication technologies to optimize its fleet and minimize downtime. In 2011, JAL became the first major airline to conduct a service evaluation for Mobil Jet™ Oil 387, ExxonMobil’s latest advanced synthetic High Performance Capability (HPC) turbine engine oil. 

Recording nearly 80,000 hours of on-wing time, the results far exceeded expectations of JAL’s maintenance and management teams. Along with its exceptional deposit control, seal compatibility and wear protection, Haraikawa said that the oil’s ability to minimize coking in gas turbine bearing components is equally impressive. 

“We believe that ExxonMobil’s advanced lubricant technologies, such as Mobil Jet Oil 387, are setting the industry standard,” Haraikawa said. “As we consider the future needs of our fleet, our trusted partnership with ExxonMobil will continue to help in our efforts to be the world’s most valued and preferred airline.”