Japan Airlines has a new special livery. The “JAL Tunku Tunku JET,” a Boeing 737-800 decorated with TunkuTunku, the official mascot of the International Horticultural Expo 2027 in Yokohama, entered service on Saturday, November 7. The expo, officially called GREEN×EXPO 2027, opens on March 19, 2027, in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture.
The aircraft (registration JA344J) operated its first flight as JL231 from Tokyo Haneda to Okayama. It will fly on JAL routes served by the Boeing 737-800 until around September 2027. The plane has 165 seats: 20 in Class J and 145 in Economy.
On board, drinks are served in paper cups printed with the expo design. Starting in November, JAL’s inflight entertainment system will also offer two official promotional videos for GREEN×EXPO 2027: a beginner’s guide and a quiz.
A fashion show in the hangar
JAL revealed the aircraft on November 6 at a hangar ceremony produced by fashion designer Junko Koshino, who received Japan’s Order of Culture in 2023. A runway was built inside the hangar, and 37 JAL Group employees, some of them athletes the airline employs, walked it in outfits inspired by flowers and greenery.
Koshino has a long history with Japanese expos. She has worked on national projects since the 1970 Osaka Expo, was a senior advisor for Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, and oversaw the uniforms for its operating staff. JAL says the collaboration is meant to promote the expo’s themes of living in harmony with nature and building a sustainable future.
“While there are countless flowers and plants across the globe that remain unknown, may GREEN×EXPO 2027 serve as the origin of international friendship and exchange through the world’s flowers and greenery,” Koshino said.
A second jet for international routes
JAL plans to introduce a second Tunku Tunku jet, this one on international routes. Travelers outside Japan may get a chance to spot the expo mascot before the event opens next spring.
Details about the aircraft and the airline’s expo campaign are available, in Japanese only, on JAL’s dedicated “Fly to GREEN×EXPO 2027 with JAL” website.
