Founder & Managing Director, AIR Control Tower, AIR Control Tower

Neil Glynn

Founder & Managing Director, AIR Control Tower

AIR Control Tower

AIR Control Tower is an independent research and analysis platform. Its mission is to provide impactful insight and analysis across the global airline industry at a company and market level via detailed financial models to aid decision making for key stake holders at a time when risks have seldom, if ever, been higher and the global sector grapples with the imperative of funding de-carbonisation. Unique analysis forecasting global carrier-level earnings/cash flows, and restructuring/de-leveraging prospects, is designed to dynamically assess the health of the industry, predict surprises and identify potential requirements for third party support.

Insights on the global airline industry

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>We publish a detailed update on the APAC airline sector, featuring ANA, Cathay Pacific, JAL, Korean Air, Qantas and Singapore Airlines, addressing cargo yield normalisation, and unit cost inflation.</li>
<li>We see 24% upside to consensus EBITDAR for JAL in FY24 to March 2024, and 24% downside risk at Singapore Airlines based on our detailed analysis and quarterly earnings bridges.</li>
<li>We expect earnings at most carriers to decline in calendar 2024 versus 2023 as the combination of cargo yield normalisation, fuel price pressure, and further capacity restoration prompt margin declines.</li>
</ul>


We publish a detailed update on the APAC airline sector, featuring ANA, Cathay Pacific, JAL, Korean Air, Qantas and Singapore Airlines, addressing cargo yield normalisation, and unit cost inflation.
We see 24% upside to consensus EBITDAR for JAL in FY24 to March 2024, and 24% downside risk at Singapore Airlines based on our detailed analysis and quarterly earnings bridges.
We expect earnings at most carriers to decline in calendar 2024 versus 2023 as the combination of cargo yield normalisation, fuel price pressure, and further capacity restoration prompt margin declines.


APAC Airline Sector – Cost Inflation Management Differentials Crucial as Cargo Yields Normalise

<ul>
<li>JAL finishing FY24 strongly with another guidance upgrade – upgraded FY26 targets more logical in light of existing ANA targets</li>
<li>​Demand momentum particularly helpful as wages rise across Japan and ​cost control to remain impressive over FY25-FY26 as LCC growth set to dilute FSC inflation</li>
<li>​Detailed analysis of JAL’s widening margin gap to ANA suggests revenue solution required – momentum helpful and needs to be watched carefully</li>
</ul>


JAL finishing FY24 strongly with another guidance upgrade – upgraded FY26 targets more logical in light of existing ANA targets
​Demand momentum particularly helpful as wages rise across Japan and ​cost control to remain impressive over FY25-FY26 as LCC growth set to dilute FSC inflation
​Detailed analysis of JAL’s widening margin gap to ANA suggests revenue solution required – momentum helpful and needs to be watched carefully


Japan Airlines – Encouraging Lifting of Medium Term Expectations to Narrow Recovery Gap to ANA

Expert on Japan Retail and Consumer Markets, JapanConsuming

Michael Causton

Expert on Japan Retail and Consumer Markets

Real Insight on Japanese Consumer Markets

JapanConsuming

JapanConsuming is a specialist research firm producing intelligence on Japanese retail and consumer markets. Founded in 2000, JapanConsuming has become the leading provider of insights on Japanese retailers and consumer trends to retailers, brands, government agencies and investors. As well as a highly regarded monthly report on the market, JapanConsuming produces in-depth reports on retail sectors, seminars on key trends and telephone consulting to investors on trends and retailers.

JapanConsuming was founded by Michael Causton and Roy Larke. 

<ul>
<li>Amidst intense competition in online mall retailing, JAL and ANA both launched their own e-commerce malls last year to replace once popular catalogues.</li>
<li>Although a tough market to enter given the competition from the big 3 (Amazon, Rakuten and Yahoo), airlines have distinct advantages over other small malls.</li>
<li>In particular, they have data on millions of consumers and access to premium customers willing to spend ¥1 million on a case of wine.</li>
</ul>


Amidst intense competition in online mall retailing, JAL and ANA both launched their own e-commerce malls last year to replace once popular catalogues.
Although a tough market to enter given the competition from the big 3 (Amazon, Rakuten and Yahoo), airlines have distinct advantages over other small malls.
In particular, they have data on millions of consumers and access to premium customers willing to spend ¥1 million on a case of wine.


<ul>
<li>We refresh estimates for ANA and JAL, and highlight we think the strength of FY24 makes it difficult for ANA to avoid an earnings decline in FY25.</li>
<li>However, ANA's superior recovery to JAL poses bigger questions for JAL as it revisits its medium term plan on 21 March</li>
<li>Our deep dive on margin management at each carrier suggests a revenue problem rather than a cost problem at JAL; but without revenue improvements, it will have to cut costs</li>
</ul>


We refresh estimates for ANA and JAL, and highlight we think the strength of FY24 makes it difficult for ANA to avoid an earnings decline in FY25.
However, ANA's superior recovery to JAL poses bigger questions for JAL as it revisits its medium term plan on 21 March
Our deep dive on margin management at each carrier suggests a revenue problem rather than a cost problem at JAL; but without revenue improvements, it will have to cut costs


Japanese Airlines – ANA’s Margin Outperformance Poses Big Questions for JAL

<ul>
<li>We revisit FY24 prospects by highlighting that historical full service carrier (FSC) earnings seasonality suggests group EBIT guidance of ¥130bn is very conservative.</li>
<li>FSC FY24 EBIT guidance of ¥80bn implies only ¥9bn in 2H, 12% of 1H's ¥71bn, whereas historically 2H has represented 74-83% of 1H. We model ¥59bn or 84% in 2H.</li>
<li>Our ¥176.5bn group EBIT for FY24 is 36% above guidance but also 27% above Visible Alpha consensus, largely due to lower costs, which position JAL strongly for the long-term.</li>
</ul>


We revisit FY24 prospects by highlighting that historical full service carrier (FSC) earnings seasonality suggests group EBIT guidance of ¥130bn is very conservative.
FSC FY24 EBIT guidance of ¥80bn implies only ¥9bn in 2H, 12% of 1H's ¥71bn, whereas historically 2H has represented 74-83% of 1H. We model ¥59bn or 84% in 2H.
Our ¥176.5bn group EBIT for FY24 is 36% above guidance but also 27% above Visible Alpha consensus, largely due to lower costs, which position JAL strongly for the long-term.


Japan Airlines: Seasonality Scrutiny Still Suggests Significant Upside to FY24 Guidance

Japan

Japan Airlines Co. Ltd. provides air transportation services. The Company offers a variety of scheduled  flights and unscheduled flights throughout the world as well as offers air courier services. Japan Airlines also provides tickets, resort hotels, and travel agencies services.

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Japan Airlines (9201 JP)

APAC Airline Sector – Cost Inflation Management Differentials Crucial as Cargo Yields Normalise

Deep dive on earnings prospects of the top tier ex-China APAC full service carriers illustrates marked differences in inflation management, and...

Neil Glynn

Japan Airlines – Encouraging Lifting of Medium Term Expectations to Narrow Recovery Gap to ANA

Detailed analysis of JAL's medium term plan update, FY24-FY26 earnings prospects, and widening margin gap to principal competitor All Nippon Airways

Neil Glynn

JAL Mall: Gold from 30m Mileage Members

JAL and ANA enter online retail market with e-commerce malls, leveraging customer data and premium clientele to compete with big players like...

Michael Causton

Japanese Airlines – ANA’s Margin Outperformance Poses Big Questions for JAL

A deep dive on ANA and JAL analysing the drivers of ANA's superior financial recover to JAL and the implications for JAL's medium term strategy...

Neil Glynn

Japan Airlines: Seasonality Scrutiny Still Suggests Significant Upside to FY24 Guidance

Seasonality scrutiny illustrates 2H24 would need to see a dramatic collapse for JAL to fail to significantly outperform consensus expectations for...

Neil Glynn

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)

APAC Airline Sector – Cost Inflation Management Differentials Crucial as Cargo Yields Normalise

Deep dive on earnings prospects of the top tier ex-China APAC full service carriers illustrates marked differences in inflation management, and...

Neil Glynn

Japan Airlines – Encouraging Lifting of Medium Term Expectations to Narrow Recovery Gap to ANA

Detailed analysis of JAL's medium term plan update, FY24-FY26 earnings prospects, and widening margin gap to principal competitor All Nippon Airways

Neil Glynn

JAL Mall: Gold from 30m Mileage Members

​JAL and ANA enter online retail market with e-commerce malls, leveraging customer data and premium clientele to compete with big players like...

Michael Causton

Japanese Airlines – ANA’s Margin Outperformance Poses Big Questions for JAL

A deep dive on ANA and JAL analysing the drivers of ANA's superior financial recover to JAL and the implications for JAL's medium term strategy...

Neil Glynn

Japan Airlines: Seasonality Scrutiny Still Suggests Significant Upside to FY24 Guidance

Seasonality scrutiny illustrates 2H24 would need to see a dramatic collapse for JAL to fail to significantly outperform consensus expectations for...

Neil Glynn

JAL and ANA enter online retail market with e-commerce malls, leveraging customer data and premium clientele to compete with big players like...