TOKYO, Oct 4, 2007 (AFP) - A runway at one of Japan's international airports was closed temporarily Thursday after a passenger plane scraped its tail on the ground while landing near the western city of Osaka, officials said.

No one was injured in the incident involving the Boeing 737-800 operated by Japan Airlines at Kansai International Airport and the runway was reopened after about an hour and a half, an airport official said.

JAL said the plane's tailskid, which is designed to protect the body from scraping the ground, was slightly damaged.

TOKYO, Aug 28, 2007 (AFP) - Asia's largest carrier Japan Airlines said Tuesday it will start first-class seating for domestic flights, as airlines compete to capture profitable business and high-spending customers.

The service will begin in December for the Tokyo-Osaka service, and will gradually expand to other routes linking major Japanese cities with Tokyo, the airline said.

The first-class flyers will receive meals coordinated with well-known luxurious restaurants, in addition to wider seats and other frills.

TOKYO, Aug 6, 2007 (AFP) - Japan Airlines said Monday it remained in the red in the first quarter of the fiscal year but reduced its net loss by more than sixfold through layoffs, route cuts and a shift to smaller planes.

Asia's largest carrier, which has been axing thousands of jobs, maintained its forecast for a return to profit this year after two straight annual losses that followed a series of safety scares.

Net losses shrank to 4.29 billion yen (36.5 million dollars) in the three months to June from 26.78 billion yen a year earlier, a JAL statement said.