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

Several major Chinese airliners announced on Friday the extension of free changes and cancellations on China-Japan flights until March 28 next year, responding to changing market demand, the Global Times learned from notices issued on the official website of several airliners.

Air China, China Eastern Airlines, and China Southern Airlines have successively issued notices on special ticket arrangements for Japan-related routes, allowing free refunds or changes for tickets to, from, or transiting through Japan on flights departing on or before March 28, 2026, 

Previously, the free-change policy was set to end on December 31, 2025.

According to the travel advisory issued by the Foreign Ministry, and in order to help affected passengers better arrange their trips, Air China has adjusted its special ticket handling policy for flights to and from Japan, said the Chinese airliner on its website on Friday, while listing the specific conditions for free refunds or changes for travel.

Other two major domestic airliners - China Eastern and China Southern - also issued similar notices on their websites.

According to data from industry information provider Flight Master, in Week 48 (November 24-30), there were 1,167 round-trip flights on China-Japan routes, the lowest weekly total in nearly a month. The recovery rate also hit a new low at just 78.1 percent.

Meanwhile, according to Flight Master's data monitored on December 1, the cancellation rate on China-Japan routes has continued to rise. For December, the projected cancellation rate on China-Japan flights was 26.4 percent, continuing to rise from the previous reporting period.

Due to the impact of many Chinese residents avoiding traveling to Japan, the number of flights linking Japan's Kansai International Airport and the Chinese mainland 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, adding that he believes the impact will persist, Japan's Kyodo News reported.

Global Times