Post by : Rameen Ariff

Chinese airlines have sharply reduced their flight operations to Japan for the month of December, canceling more than 900 flights as diplomatic tensions between the two countries deepen over the Taiwan issue. The sudden drop in services has raised concerns across Japan’s aviation and tourism sectors, which rely heavily on Chinese travelers.

According to Cirium flight data cited by Nikkei Asia, a total of 176 regular routes connect Japan and China, linking 20 Japanese airports with 36 in China, excluding Hong Kong and Macau. As of Thursday morning, airlines from China had already canceled 904 flights across 72 routes — nearly 16% of the 5,548 flights originally planned for December. This marks a steep rise from the 268 cancellations recorded just two days earlier, underscoring the fast-changing situation.

Major Japanese Airports Hit by Large-Scale Cancellations

Kansai Airport has been hit the hardest, losing 626 inbound flights for December. The canceled services include 80 flights from Nanjing, 71 from Shanghai, and 58 from Beijing. Tokyo’s Narita Airport and Nagoya’s Chubu Airport have each seen 68 cancellations, while Hokkaido’s New Chitose Airport reported 61.

Okinawa’s Naha Airport recorded 26 canceled flights, whereas Tokyo’s Haneda Airport was the least affected, with only seven cancellations out of its 989 scheduled inbound flights.

Airlines Making the Deepest Cuts

Large carriers such as China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines have canceled 118 and 109 flights, respectively. However, the most significant reductions came from mid-sized Shanghai-based airlines. Spring Airlines suspended 182 flights, while Juneyao Airlines removed 166 flights from its December schedule.

Airfares Drop as Demand Falls

The sharp fall in demand has also pushed down ticket prices. Japan’s low-cost airline comparison site Ena reports that round-trip fares between Kansai and Shanghai in December have fallen from around 20,000 yen last year to roughly 8,500 yen this year.

Airport Authorities Expect Further Cuts

Narita International Airport Corp President Fujii Naoki confirmed that several Chinese airlines had notified them about plans to scale back services starting December. He expects 10–20% of the nearly 300 weekly flights between Narita and Chinese cities to be canceled.

Economists say the situation needs close monitoring. Kanda Keiji, senior economist at the Daiwa Institute of Research, told Nikkei Asia that it remains uncertain how China will adjust its aviation strategy in the coming weeks, noting that “developments going forward will need to be watched carefully.”

As tensions continue to rise, the impact on travel, tourism, and economic ties between Japan and China is expected to unfold further in the months ahead.

#Global News