China cuts thousands of Japan flights as strained ties send travellers elsewhere
Mainland carriers scrap more than 30 per cent of flights to Japan as travellers turn to South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia
Thousands of scheduled flights from mainland China to Japan were scrapped during a record-breaking summer travel season for domestic carriers, as travellers pivoted to other Asian destinations amid strained diplomatic ties.
A total of 2,312 flights were cancelled in July and August, accounting for 30.7 per cent of scheduled flights, according to aviation data provider Flight Master DAST. July saw 1,195 cancellations, or 31.4 per cent of scheduled flights.
Li Hanming, an independent aviation analyst, said 780 China-Japan flights were cancelled in September, based on announcements that no tickets were available. He said the cancellations covered between 150 and 200 routes.
The pullback contrasted sharply with a record-breaking summer for China’s aviation sector, as airlines carried more passengers while keeping fares low to stimulate demand.
Mainland airlines transported 153.64 million passenger trips between July 1 and Monday, a historic high and up 4.4 per cent from a year earlier, Flight Master estimated. International passenger traffic rose 3.1 per cent during the period.