Japan Air Lines (JAL) began in 1951 as Japanese Air Lines providing domestic
flight service. In 1954 it inaugurated international flights with a DC-6 flying to
San Francisco, CA. The jet-age began for JAL in 1960 with the delivery of the first
of a fleet of DC-8's, first used on the San Francisco route and later flying a polar
route to London-Heathrow and Copenhagen.
By 1962 Convair 880 jets were introduced for routes to Frankfurt, Germany
stopping in Asia. On November 12, 1966 JAL began DC8 service from Tokyo to New
York. Then on March 6, 1967 the first west bound DC-8 round-the-world flight
departed Tokyo International Airport. A day later another DC-8 departed completing
the round-the-world route in an easterly direction.
On June 30, 1968 JAL inaugurated round-the-world service from Tokyo to Paris to
New York arriveing back at Tokyo on July 1, 1968.
Similarily, on August 2, 1968 JAL inaugurated round-the-world service from Tokyo
to Beirut to London arriving back at Tokyo on August 3, 1968.
JAL used their DC-8-62 for these long-range round-the-world flights.