JAL Awarded for Aviation Safety after ‘Miracle’ Escape of 379 People in Haneda Accident

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Japan Airlines planes are seen at Haneda Airport in Tokyo in December 2020.

Japan Airlines has been selected by an international organization for flight safety to receive an annual award for commitment to safety, the airline said Thursday.

This is the first time for a Japanese company or group to have won the Richard Crane Award since the Flight Safety Foundation, based in Virginia, created the award.

JAL is being recognized for its decades-long contribution to fostering a safety culture both in and outside the company, through such efforts as establishing the Safety Promotion Center after the crash of JAL Flight 123 in August 1985.

JAL was nominated by foundation members in many countries and regions after all 379 passengers and crew escaped from a JAL plane following its collision with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport in January. The escape was widely hailed as a “miracle.”