Flag-carrier Air China has confirmed that it will trim capacity on multiple Japanese routes from 30 November through at least late March 2026. The Shanghai Pudong–Osaka Kansai trunk will drop from 21 to 16 round-trips a week, while Chongqing–Tokyo Narita is being cut almost in half. Seasonal flights such as Chengdu–Sapporo are cancelled outright.
An Air China spokesperson blamed ‘aircraft allocation’, but the move comes 24 hours after Beijing’s harsh travel advisory against Japan. Industry insiders say advance bookings had already slowed sharply following the seafood-import ban, and high no-show rates made some frequencies uneconomic. The capacity pull-down affects premium-heavy Airbus A330s first, with smaller single-aisle A321s replacing wide-bodies on several rotations.
![Air China slashes Shanghai–Osaka and other Japan routes amid political chill]()
Corporate travel managers face immediate re-ticketing headaches: December seat inventory between China’s coastal hubs and Osaka/Tokyo will shrink by roughly 25 percent, and premium-cabin fares have spiked 18 percent on dynamic-pricing engines since Wednesday. Companies with Japan contracts are scrambling to secure connecting seats via Seoul and Taipei.
Airport slot coordinators at Kansai and Narita say they have received no requests to reallocate the returned slots yet; regulators could temporarily re-issue them to Korea’s low-cost carriers if demand exists. For now, Air China staff in Tokyo are offering refund or reroute options, but only for tickets issued before 21 November.
Mobility advisers recommend that travellers watch for late-night cancellations and build longer buffers into itineraries, as further adjustments are likely if the diplomatic row drags on.
An Air China spokesperson blamed ‘aircraft allocation’, but the move comes 24 hours after Beijing’s harsh travel advisory against Japan. Industry insiders say advance bookings had already slowed sharply following the seafood-import ban, and high no-show rates made some frequencies uneconomic. The capacity pull-down affects premium-heavy Airbus A330s first, with smaller single-aisle A321s replacing wide-bodies on several rotations.
Corporate travel managers face immediate re-ticketing headaches: December seat inventory between China’s coastal hubs and Osaka/Tokyo will shrink by roughly 25 percent, and premium-cabin fares have spiked 18 percent on dynamic-pricing engines since Wednesday. Companies with Japan contracts are scrambling to secure connecting seats via Seoul and Taipei.
Airport slot coordinators at Kansai and Narita say they have received no requests to reallocate the returned slots yet; regulators could temporarily re-issue them to Korea’s low-cost carriers if demand exists. For now, Air China staff in Tokyo are offering refund or reroute options, but only for tickets issued before 21 November.
Mobility advisers recommend that travellers watch for late-night cancellations and build longer buffers into itineraries, as further adjustments are likely if the diplomatic row drags on.
