TOKYO (Nikkei)--Still stuck with a shortfall in capital, Japan Airlines Corp. and the government's turnaround body are considering asking the carrier's main lenders to lift their financial assistance, The Nikkei learned Thursday.

The hard-up airline could submit a request as soon as this month, but with a backlash from the banks a certainty, negotiations are likely to be fraught.

Under reorganization plans cobbled together in January, JAL expected a net loss of 1.2 trillion yen for the fiscal year ended in March. But the red ink likely swelled to 1.35 trillion yen.

After seeking a 730 billion yen debt waiver from the banks, the airline counted on a investment of 300 billion yen from the Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corp. of Japan to eliminate negative net worth of 870 billion yen. But negative net worth blew out to the 1 trillion yen level due to such factors as rising restructuring costs and mounting pension obligations. Therefore, JAL has been unable to escape a capital shortfall.

As part of plans for increased aid, JAL could request the banks to forgive around 90% of their loans, up from the earlier 83%. Another proposal is to seek a debt-for-equity deal. In addition, the ETIC is considering offering more financial help. Estimates put the beefed-up assistance package at more than 100 billion yen altogether.