Boeing 747-400M Azuma - Japan National Airlines "2011-Present"

The Boeing 747-400 was a key asset to the Azuma fleet throughout the 1990s, the 2000s and the 2010s. This subfleet, including standard -400, combi -400M and domestic-oriented -400D, could be seen at every corner of the airline's route network, as nearby as Hong Kong as as far away as New York. Azuma would go to become one of the largest 747-400 operators in the world, with a total of 62 aircraft operating for the airline during the model's tenure, even though not all these aircraft would operate at the same time.

Unfortunately, the rising fuel prices and push towards more fuel efficient airliners in the early parts of the 21st century diminished the 747's prestige within the company. New Boeing 777s, and later Boeing 787s and Airbus A350s, could perform the same tasks as the Jumbo with a significantly improved fuel economy, meaning there was little need for the 747-400 as the 2010s approached. Thus, in 2016, it was announced that the Boeing 747-400 would be fully retired by 2024, with most of the oldest aircraft being scrapped, or converted into freighters and transferred, either to Azuma Cargo or other cargo airlines round the globe.

However, the global COVID-19 pandemic led to an acceleration of these retirement plans, and by the end of 2020, there were no Azuma Boeing 747-400s in passenger operation. Replaced in passenger service by the Boeing 777, 787 and Airbus A350-1000, the few 747-400s that do remain are now operating under Azuma's cargo branch as freighters, with both factory-built 747-400Fs and former passenger 747-400BCFs hauling freight all across the world.