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Sherry Wang

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.
Chinese airlines shifted capacity towards other Asian markets where demand remained stronger.
Japan dropped out of the top three international destinations for mainland departures during the July-August period, ranking behind South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia, according to Flight Master.
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.


The July-August period typically brings a surge in travel by students and families as schools and universities close for summer.
The average passenger load factor, measuring the share of available seats filled, climbed to 87.4 per cent during the period, up 1.7 percentage points from a year earlier, according to Flight Master. August set a new high at 88.8 per cent.
The decline in travel comes as relations between Beijing and Tokyo have continued to deteriorate since November, when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made controversial remarks on Taiwan.
Among the measures instituted in response to the dispute were travel warnings against trips to Japan from Beijing. Demand has fallen consistently, leading the mainland’s airlines to slash flights on their routes.
Tokyo’s decision to raise foreign-visitor visa fees from July 1 has also made visits less appealing for visitors from the mainland, with the cost of a single-entry visa increasing from 3,000 yen (US$18.54) to 15,000 yen, and fees for multiple-entry visas jumping from 6,000 yen to 30,000 yen.
Tourist arrivals from the mainland plunged 56.1 per cent year on year in July, extending a downward trend that began in December 2025, according to data released by the Japan National Tourism Organisation. For the first seven months of the year, mainland visitors plummeted 56.3 per cent year on year.
Flight capacity from the mainland to Japan recovered to just 46.4 per cent of the level seen during the same period in 2019, Flight Master data showed. By comparison, flights to South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Russia and Indonesia, among others, had already surpassed their 2019 levels.


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Mainland carriers scrap more than 30 per cent of flights to Japan as travellers turn to South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia


Mainland carriers scrap more than 30 per cent of flights to Japan as travellers turn to South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia.


China cuts thousands of Japan flights as strained ties send travellers elsewhere

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Mainland carriers scrap more than 30 per cent of flights to Japan as travellers turn to South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia

Mainland carriers scrap more than 30 per cent of flights to Japan as travellers turn to South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia