Jetstar

Japan's major airline groups have made some notable structural changes to their LCC stables to better position them for the next wave of growth in this segment. ANA Holdings made the decision to close down its hybrid/LCC, AirJapan, in Mar-2026, although it still has the much larger and more established Peach in its group to pursue its low-cost objectives. The major LCC in the JAL Group, Jetstar Japan, is shifting to an all-Japanese ownership model with the exit of shareholder Qantas. This will allow the LCC to be rebranded as it seeks further growth, and also brings in a significant new investor. Peach has been growing faster than its much larger ANA full-service sibling, highlighting the value the group sees in the LCC business model. Jetstar Japan has seen strong international growth in recent years, although its domestic capacity has remained flat or dropped. Of the other JAL LCCs, Zipair is aiming to continue its steady growth as it builds its widebody fleet and network. Spring Jap

While Jetstar Airways has pared back its planned growth in the middle of 2026, this is not much of a setback in the context of the airline's long-term expansion trend. The airline has made some selective capacity cuts in its network, in response to the fuel cost spike caused by the Iran conflict. It has also redeployed some capacity between markets. Jetstar has been forced to close some short haul international routes, but it has also opened others. The overall result is a slight dip in capacity year-on-year, versus the airline's original plan for continued capacity growth. The arrival of new-generation Airbus narrowbodies has helped fuel the longer-term growth trend - and more are in the pipeline to continue its expansion. But the airline is also demonstrating that it can flex more toward fleet replacement than growth when needed.