Japan Airlines regional subsidiary Japan Air Commuter performed its first ATR 42-600 flight Wednesday, operating Flight 3741 from Kagoshima at 8:50 a.m. local time for a 40-minute flight to Yakushima. The 48-passenger aircraft then performed three flights, from Yakushima to Kagoshima, from Kagoshima to Okinoerabu, and then back to Kagoshima.

In a statement released on the day of the first flight, ATR declared Japan a “key market” for its 600 Series turboprops, of which it expects to deliver another eight ATR 42 versions to JAC into 2018. The only other Japanese ATR operator—Amakusa Airlines—flies a single ATR 42-600 leased from Nordic Air Capital.

JAC plans to fly its new ATRs on connections to and from small islands and communities across the country, including the Amami Islands, which Japan designated a national park in March and awaits word on a petition to designate it a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site in 2018. A successful designation as a world natural heritage site would certainly boost the tourism potential of the region and create still more need for connecting air service with airplanes capable of economically serving routes shorter than 300 nautical miles. According to ATR, 35 percent of Japanese domestic routes cover less than 300 nautical miles. 

ATR opened a representative office in Tokyo in October 2015 in an effort to help it gain a foothold in the Japanese market. It has also committed to placing a "considerable" stock of spare parts in Kagoshima, which will work with ATR's existing warehouse in Singapore to support JAC.

Japan Airlines now owns 60 percent of Japan Air Commuter while 12 of the Amami Islands of Kagoshima, Kyushu, hold the remainder of its shares. Based in Kagoshima Airport, Japan Air Commuter operates 97 daily departures on 23 routes with nine Bombardier Q400s, nine Saab 340s and its new ATR, and serves 1.6 million passengers annually between the Amami Islands and Western Japan.