Nearly half of China flights to Japan cut in December, Chinese state media says
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Chinese tourists wearing kimonos as they visited Sensoji Temple in the Asakusa district of Tokyo on Nov 15.
PHOTO: AFP
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BEIJING – Some 40 per cent of scheduled flights from China to Japan in December have been scrapped, according to Chinese state media, as the fallout for air travel and tourism
The number of cancellations has now topped 1,900 flights, broadcaster China Central Television reported, citing unnamed online platforms.
Japanese cities Sapporo and Osaka – which rely heavily on tourism – saw the biggest cuts as a percentage of planned services, according to data from flight scheduling database AeroRoutes.
Chinese carriers are taking the lead in dialling back services – a blow for Japan, which counts the mainland as its biggest source of foreign visitors.
China told its airlines to reduce the number of flights to Japan until March 2026, Bloomberg reported in November, a sign that Beijing has braced itself for a protracted row with its neighbour.
The spat began in November when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan angered China.
Beijing then issued a safety warning against travel to Japan, prompting Chinese airlines to offer free cancellations and travel waivers up to Dec 31.
It has threatened Japan’s tourism momentum, which has been one of a few bright spots in a shrinking economy.
Japan could lose out on as much as US$1.2 billion (S$1.56 billion) in visitor spending between November and the end of the year, Bloomberg reported earlier. BLOOMBERG
