Over 40% of planned flights from China to Japan for Dec 25 canceled, totaling over 1,900 flights

A view of Beijing Daxing International Airport Photo: Courtesy of Beijing Daxing International Airport

According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, about 8.2 million Chinese tourists visited Japan from January to October 2025, an increase of 40 percent year-on-year, making them a vital source of revenue for Japan’s tourism and related industries.

Now Chiese tourists are avoiding visit to Japan. Due to the impact of many Chinese residents avoiding traveling to Japan, the number of flights linking Japan’s Kansai International Airport and China is anticipated to decrease by 34 percent in the second week of December, Yoshiyuki Yamaya, president of Kansai Airports Group – which operates Kansai International Airport, Osaka Itami Airport and Kobe Airport in the Kansai region in Japan – said at an earnings conference on Monday, Japan’s Kyodo News reported.

He believes the impact will persist, per Kyodo News. Originally, 525 weekly flights were scheduled for the winter season between Kansai International Airport and China. However, in the second week of December, this number is projected to drop to 348 flights. Beginning in January 2026, flights are expected to decline by about 28 percent on average, the report said.

Qunar data shows that January is a key off-peak window for family outbound travel ahead of the Chinese New Year, with Thailand reclaiming the top spot. From mid-January up to the Spring Festival (which falls on February 17 in 2026), flight bookings to Thailand are up 21 percent year-on-year.

Over the weekend of November 15 and 16, South Korea became China’s leading outbound destination in terms of bookings, followed by Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia, according to Qunar.

Well Indians must learn from this and take a pledge not to visit Turkey for tourism or trade purposes.