An aircraft from China Eastern Airlines at Fukuoka Airport in Japan on December 14, 2025 Photo: VCG

Japan has lost its position as the top destination for outbound flights from Chinese mainland, an industry platform said on Wednesday. 

Data from flight information provider VariFlight, released on Wednesday, showed there were 1,465 round-trip flights between Chinese mainland and Japan during the first week of 2026 (December 29, 2025 - January 4, 2026). This figure marks a 41 percent year-on-year decline from the corresponding period a year ago.

During the same period, the number of round-trip flights between Chinese mainland and South Korea was 2,038, making it the top destination for outbound flights from Chinese mainland, followed by the flights between Chinese mainland and Thailand of 1,751 round trips, and flights between Chinese mainland and Hong Kong SAR of 1,578 round trips.

The top three destinations all recorded higher flight volumes than Chinese mainland-Japan route.

Additionally, the fifth to 10th destinations for outbound flights from Chinese mainland in the first week of 2026 were as follows: Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Macao, Russia and Australia, VariFlight said. 

Global Times