JAL expects revenue to fall 2.3 bil. yen in April-May on 787 grounding

TOKYO, March 19 -- (Kyodo) _ Japan Airlines Co. said Tuesday it expects revenue to decline by 2.3 billion yen from March 31 through the end of May due to the grounding of its entire fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners and plans to seek compensation from Boeing Co. over the disruption.

For the period between Jan. 16, when an All Nippon Airways Co. Dreamliner made an emergency landing at Takamatsu Airport in western Japan due to a battery-related problem, and March 30, JAL said earlier that it was projecting revenue to fall by 1.1 billion yen.

JAL President Yoshiharu Ueki said at a press conference that the company is "preparing" to seek compensation from the U.S. aircraft manufacturer over the grounding of 787s.

"We will begin negotiations at an appropriate time. But we do not want to bother Boeing with that for now, we want them to concentrate" on fixing the 787's battery problems, said Ueki.

Ueki added that Boeing's proposed modifications to the aircraft's battery system seem appropriate as they offer multiple layers of protection, although the root cause of the series of Dreamliner problems has not been pinpointed.

JAL also announced that its honorary chairman Kazuo Inamori, who played a pivotal role in the career's rehabilitation efforts, will retire from the company's board of directors at the end of March. Inamori will continue to serve as honorary chairman.