Diplomatic tensions cause mass Chinese flight cancellations to Japan
Chinese travellers have reportedly cancelled hundreds of thousands of flights to Japan amid a diplomatic dispute over Japan’s stance on Taiwan.
The cancellations follow comments by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggesting possible military involvement if China attempted to seize Taiwan, prompting warnings from the Chinese government to its citizens, News.Az reports, citing the Guardian.
At least seven Chinese airlines, including the three state carriers, have offered free cancellations for affected travellers. Departure data indicates approximately 500,000 tickets to Japan were cancelled between 15 and 17 November, according to air travel analyst Hanming Li.
Sichuan Airlines has cancelled all flights between Chengdu and Sapporo from January to late March, while Spring Airlines also cancelled multiple Japan-bound flights, citing “company planning reasons.”
China is Japan’s second-largest source of tourists, and Chinese students make up the bulk of Japan’s international student population. The cancellations caused Japanese retail and travel stocks to slump on Monday.
Li told the Guardian it was the largest mass cancellation of flights he had seen since early in the Covid pandemic but would probably have little impact on China’s domestic industry.
“It is not a huge loss for airlines because the Sino-Japan market is small when comparing to the whole domestic and international market,” Li said.
The travel cancellations are among a growing list of economic countermeasures after what had until Sunday been mostly a rhetorical reaction.
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