The new CEO of Japan Airlines, Kazuo Inamori, who took over the struggling company JAL in January has said his company executives were unfit “to run a green grocery”. Inamori aims to return JAL to profitability by the autumn, but hinted to reporters that his assessment of the airline’s prospects had become “gloomier” since taking over.

JAL was declared bankrupt in January but a state-led recovery package has been put in place to try and overcome the airline’s reported US$26 billion debt. JAL has said it will get out of the freighter business and rely on bellyhold capacity instead.