Photo: Screenshot of Flight Master

 

According to data from industry information provider Flight Master on Wednesday, the volume of civil aviation passengers from the Chinese mainland to Japan has experienced a significant decline.

On Tuesday, the passenger load factor is projected to have decreased by 12.3 percentage points compared to the previous week, while passenger numbers are expected to have dropped by 10.8 percent from the previous week. 

In terms of flight volume, as of Wednesday, there has been no large-scale cancellation of flights. However, the flight cancellation rate on Tuesday reached 13.4 percent, the highest level in the past five days.

According to monitoring data for upcoming China-Japan flights on sale (From November 18 to December 31), the number of flight frequencies showed slight fluctuations during the monitoring period of November 10 to November 17, with an overall trend of gradual decline, data from another information provider VariFlight showed on Wednesday.  

A total of 22 airlines are currently offering China-Japan flights for sale, with varying changes in flight frequencies among them. Domestic Chinese carriers, including China Eastern Airlines, Air China, China Southern Airlines, and Juneyao Airlines, have all reduced their schedules. In contrast, Japan Airlines and Spring Japan have not yet implemented any reductions, VariFlight said in information shared with the Global Times. 

Regarding the decline, a representative of a domestic airline said that the reduction in flights could have been pre-planned. Since November and December are traditionally low seasons for travel to Japan, airlines often cut schedules in response to market demand, the representative said. If the situation continues to deteriorate, it could lead to a more significant reduction in flights during early and mid-December, the representative added. 

On Saturday, multiple Chinese airlines, including Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, Spring Airlines, and Sichuan Airlines, announced special ticket-handling policies for flights involving Japan, allowing eligible passengers to change or refund their tickets free of charge.

The representative of the domestic airline said that they have been continuously monitoring and evaluating the refund and change policies for passengers and will make adjustments accordingly.

On Sunday, China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism advised Chinese citizens to avoid traveling to Japan, citing security concerns. In a statement published on its official website, the ministry cited the travel advisory issued by the Chinese foreign ministry, which referred to a deteriorating security environment for Chinese citizens in Japan as well as recent provocative remarks made by the Japanese leader regarding China's Taiwan, according to Xinhua.

On the same day, the Ministry of Education released an overseas study alert, urging Chinese students currently in Japan or planning to study there soon to assess risks carefully, take necessary precautions, and plan their studies prudently.

Several Chinese travel agencies have warned that trips to Japan may be affected and some tour products could be suspended, the Global Times confirmed on Monday.