Nippon Yusen K.K. and Japan Airlines Corp. will likely delay the planned integration of their air cargo operations in April, Koji Miyahara, chairman of the shipping company, said Tuesday.
"We will have to wait and see how the question of (JAL's) rehabilitation will develop," Miyahara told reporters, referring to the struggling Japanese carrier's application for support from the state-backed Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corp. of Japan.
"A certain delay should cause no problem and the (integration) plan will remain unchanged," he added.
In August, Nippon Yusen and JAL announced an agreement to integrate their air cargo operations.
The planned deal, which envisions JAL spinning off its cargo business and integrating it with Nippon Cargo Airlines Co., a Nippon Yusen subsidiary, is a pillar of the airline's restructuring program.