Japan Airlines ( JAL), which is undergoing government-mandated restructuring after entering bankruptcy in January, has said it will drop out of the freighter business by October, opting instead to utilise the belly cargo capacity of its passenger network which offers three times as much total cargo capacity as its freighter services. The decision means JAL’s fleet of six B747 freighters and three B767 wide-body freighters will be sold or parked.

JAL’s exit from the freighter business marks the end of dedicated freighter operations which began in 1959 with DC-4 freighter service from Tokyo Haneda to San Francisco.

“We decided to move to a model where we can make money,’’ said vice president Toshiro Tada. “We were losing money and it wasn’t clear when the cargo business would turn around.’’

In the nine months to 31 December 2009, JAL’s cargo unit posted a loss of 10 billion yen (US$109 million) with global recession impacting air freight. Earlier this month, the carrier opted out of talks on combining cargo operations with shipping line Nippon Yusen KK’s air-freight unit.

JAL’s exit from the freighter business marks the end of dedicated freighter operations which began in 1959 with DC- 4 freighter service from Tokyo Haneda to San Francisco.