China-Japan tensions caused the cancellation of a series of holiday flights

According to the Flight Manager application developed by Huo Li Tian Hui Technology (Shenzhen), flights are canceled in the next two weeks, coinciding with China’s New Year holiday from January 1 to 3. A total of 38 airports in China and Japan were affected, mainly on routes to popular tourist destinations.

Flight Manager data is sheeted SCMP Based in Hong Kong, statistics show that all canceled flights were operated by Chinese airlines, involving most major airlines such as Air China, China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Xiamen Airlines and Sichuan Airlines.

Osaka and Nagoya are among the group of Japanese destinations heavily affected. About half of the 46 canceled routes connect China’s second- and third-level cities such as Shenyang, Chongqing, and Wuhan with major travel centers in Japan. Direct flights from Shanghai to smaller cities such as Nagasaki, Niigata, and Kagoshima will also stop operating in the next two weeks. In contrast, routes between large urban areas such as Beijing and Shanghai with Tokyo and Osaka only recorded limited disruptions.

In December, about 1,900 flights, equivalent to more than 40% of the expected flight schedule, were canceled and this number is expected to increase next month.

Bilateral tensions have escalated since November following statements by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi regarding the Taiwan Strait issue. Immediately afterwards, Beijing issued a recommendation for citizens to limit travel to Japan for safety reasons. In addition, strong earthquakes in northeastern Japan and Hokkaido earlier this month also caused Chinese authorities to issue similar warnings.

Data from the Japan Tourism Promotion Agency (JNTO) shows that the number of Chinese visitors to Japan in November only increased by 3% over the same period last year, lower than the overall growth rate of 10.4% for international visitors. However, in the first 11 months of the year, the total number of visitors from China still increased by 37.5% over the same period.