January 28, 2026 (JST)

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Japan Airlines Co., Ltd.
ZIPAIR Tokyo Inc.
O-Well Corporation

 Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency（Headquarters: Chofu City, Tokyo; President: Hiroshi Yamakawa; hereinafter "JAXA"）, Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. （Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; President: Mitsuko Tottori; hereinafter "JAL"）, O-Well Corporation（Headquarters: Nishiyodogawa-ku, Osaka; President: Yasuharu Kawato; hereinafter "O-Well"）, and ZIPAIR Tokyo Inc.（Headquarters： Narita City, Chiba, President： Shingo Nishida、hereinafter 「ZIPAIR」） have applied the riblet-shaped ^(*1) coating for the first time to the side of the fuselage of Boeing 787-8 aircraft（JA851J）.The aircraft has started operation on international routes from 27 January 2026.
 Through this initiative, JAXA, JAL, O-Well, and ZIPAIR will continue to work together to promote aircraft decarbonization by reducing drag during cruising, thereby improving fuel efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions.

 ZIPAIR, a medium- to long-haul low-cost carrier（LCC）of the JAL Group, received carbon neutrality certification verified under the international standard “ISO 14068-1:2023” in May 2025 and has been promoting the reduction of CO2 emissions. As part of these efforts, the riblet coating application was carried out.

 This application was carried out for the first time on an aircraft of ZIPAIR, JAL Group’s medium- to long-haul low-cost carrier（LCC）. As previously, the riblet-shaped coating was applied to the aircraft's fuselage by using the continuously improved "Paint-to-Paint Method" ^(*2).
 This time, the quality and efficiency of the application have been improved by newly introducing a sheet positioning jig and improving the crimping jig of the riblet molding sheet. The application was successfully completed at Narita International Airport, ZIPAIR’s maintenance base, in addition to Haneda International Airport.

 Additionally, on JAL’s Boeing 787-9 aircraft（JA868J）^(*3), which has been operating with large-scale riblet coating since 18 January 2025, the application was expanded to the upper fuselage area in November 2025 and has continued to operate on international routes. According to JAXA's estimated drag reduction analysis using riblets, the expanded coating on the upper fuselage improved the drag reduction rate during cruising from 0.24% to 0.31%, resulting in an expected annual reduction of approximately 154 tons of fuel consumption and 492 tons of CO2 emissions ^(*4).
 Furthermore, research and development are underway on a new riblet shape with higher drag reduction performance—the sharp single bevel riblet ^(*5)—and its durability during flight is being evaluated.

 This initiative has been advanced through the joint demonstration scheme under the JAXA Space Innovation through Partnership and Co-creation（J-SPARC） program ^(*6). We will continue to verify the durability and aesthetics of the riblet-shaped coating, as well as its fuel efficiency improvement effects on long-haul international flights, and expand the number of aircraft and application areas, thereby further promoting aircraft decarbonization.