Japan Airlines (JAL) is teaming up with a group of airlines, airports, and international organizations to strengthen efforts to prevent human trafficking through air travel.
The initiative, announced July 27, 2026, brings together JAL, rival carrier ANA Holdings, Japan Airport Terminal, Narita International Airport, Central Japan International Airport, the UN’s International Organization for Migration, and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Human trafficking is considered one of the fastest-growing criminal industries in the world, and airlines can unintentionally become part of that system through the services they provide.
JAL said the timing of the announcement is meant to lead into July 30, 2026, the UN’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, with public and private groups across the aviation industry working together to prevent trafficking and make it harder for traffickers to operate.
A first-of-its-kind training session with ANA
On July 28, 2026, JAL and ANA will hold their first joint training session focused on human trafficking prevention.
The session builds on groundwork laid during a 2024 industry forum, moving the effort into a more hands-on phase aimed at frontline staff, including cabin crew and airport ground personnel from different companies.
JAL said the training is organized in two parts. The first involves the International Organization for Migration briefing participants on the current state of human trafficking worldwide and the role airlines are expected to play in addressing it, along with each organization sharing its own prevention efforts. The second part puts staff from different companies and job roles into mixed teams to discuss how they might respond to real-world scenarios, drawing on the kind of small, easy-to-miss warning signs employees sometimes notice on the job.
Awareness campaign expands to three major airports
JAL is also expanding a digital signage campaign designed to raise public awareness about human trafficking. The campaign, which ran at Narita International Airport (NRT) last year, will expand this year to include Haneda Airport (HND) and Chubu Centrair International Airport (NGO) running from late July through the end of August 2026.
All three airports, which serve as major gateways into Japan, will display awareness videos for passengers and visitors on digital screens throughout the terminals. The footage is provided by the International Organization for Migration.
JAL said it plans to keep building on these partnerships and continue expanding its broader human rights efforts across its operations.