Air China has notified agents that its daily Tokyo Narita–Chengdu flights (CA459/460) will cease from 26 January 2026, only a month after frequencies were already cut from seven to four weekly. (en.traicy.com) The flag-carrier cites ‘network optimisation’ and ‘market conditions’, but industry data point to sliding yields on Japan-bound traffic after Chinese airlines collectively cancelled more than 2,000 China–Japan rotations for the early-2026 winter season.
The Chengdu withdrawal removes the last direct lift between western China’s biggest technology hub and Japan’s capital after Sichuan Airlines reduced its own schedule earlier in the month. For semiconductor, pharmaceutical and gaming firms that shuttled engineers between the two cities, options now involve connections in Shanghai, Shenzhen or Seoul, adding up to five hours each way. Freight forwarders that rely on the belly-hold capacity for high-value electronics will also feel the pinch, with cargo now funnelling through coastal gateways.
Analysts attribute the sharp retrenchment to multiple pressures: the depreciation of the yen has dampened Japanese outbound demand; Chinese leisure travel is shifting toward visa-free Southeast Asia; and tight bilateral flight quotas keep unit costs high. At the same time, new security screening rules at Tokyo airports have slowed turnaround times, making short-haul schedules harder to maintain.
![Air China Scraps Tokyo–Chengdu Service Amid Wider Capacity Pull-Back on Japan Routes]()
Amid these shifting flight patterns, securing the right travel documentation is becoming as important as finding seats. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/china/) streamlines Chinese visa applications, transit permits and invitation letters for corporate and individual travellers, giving mobility teams a single dashboard to track status and avoid last-minute snags. The service can be especially useful for staff now forced to route through multiple mainland hubs or extend stays because of schedule changes.
Travel managers are scrambling for alternatives. Some are rerouting teams through Beijing Daxing or using Star Alliance partner ANA’s Narita-Chengdu codeshares, though seat availability is thin. Others are leveraging the 144-hour visa-free transit in major Chinese hubs to split trips and hold meetings en-route. While Air China has hinted the suspension is ‘temporary’, slot co-ordinators at Narita say the airline returned summer 2026 slots, suggesting a longer hiatus.
The cut underscores a broader rethink of China–Japan capacity that mobility planners must watch. With more suspensions expected before the February Lunar New Year peak, corporates should revisit contingency routings, extend ticketing deadlines, and build extra layover time into itineraries for technicians and executives moving between the two manufacturing powerhouses.
The Chengdu withdrawal removes the last direct lift between western China’s biggest technology hub and Japan’s capital after Sichuan Airlines reduced its own schedule earlier in the month. For semiconductor, pharmaceutical and gaming firms that shuttled engineers between the two cities, options now involve connections in Shanghai, Shenzhen or Seoul, adding up to five hours each way. Freight forwarders that rely on the belly-hold capacity for high-value electronics will also feel the pinch, with cargo now funnelling through coastal gateways.
Analysts attribute the sharp retrenchment to multiple pressures: the depreciation of the yen has dampened Japanese outbound demand; Chinese leisure travel is shifting toward visa-free Southeast Asia; and tight bilateral flight quotas keep unit costs high. At the same time, new security screening rules at Tokyo airports have slowed turnaround times, making short-haul schedules harder to maintain.
Amid these shifting flight patterns, securing the right travel documentation is becoming as important as finding seats. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/china/) streamlines Chinese visa applications, transit permits and invitation letters for corporate and individual travellers, giving mobility teams a single dashboard to track status and avoid last-minute snags. The service can be especially useful for staff now forced to route through multiple mainland hubs or extend stays because of schedule changes.
Travel managers are scrambling for alternatives. Some are rerouting teams through Beijing Daxing or using Star Alliance partner ANA’s Narita-Chengdu codeshares, though seat availability is thin. Others are leveraging the 144-hour visa-free transit in major Chinese hubs to split trips and hold meetings en-route. While Air China has hinted the suspension is ‘temporary’, slot co-ordinators at Narita say the airline returned summer 2026 slots, suggesting a longer hiatus.
The cut underscores a broader rethink of China–Japan capacity that mobility planners must watch. With more suspensions expected before the February Lunar New Year peak, corporates should revisit contingency routings, extend ticketing deadlines, and build extra layover time into itineraries for technicians and executives moving between the two manufacturing powerhouses.
