JAL's Manila plan to staff the skies

Japan Airlines (JAL) is recruiting internationally to staff its flights, opening its first new overseas crew base in nearly 30 years in Manila, as the airline faces shortage of young domestic workers and growing non-Japanese customer base.

- By CHINO S. LEYCO

Like many major Japanese corporations, the nation's second-largest airline confronts an aging workforce and a younger generation wary of conventional careers. For a global carrier built on service, this demographic shift threatens the very core of its operations.

For this reason, JAL is breaking decades of corporate tradition by turning to Manila as the long term solution to Japan's population crisis, leveraging Philippine demographics and hospitality to help ensure its future service standards.

The urgency of JAL's move is rooted in data, according to JAL General Manager for the Philippines Takayuki Funabashi, who explained that Japan's declining population and the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic are shrinking the pool of young, interested cabin attendant graduates.