Photo/Illutration Kansai International Airport serves as a gateway to Osaka and the wider Kansai region, with China routes accounting for one-third of its international services. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Amid ongoing diplomatic tensions, Kansai International Airport is bracing for a significant reduction in flights to and from China this winter, following Beijing’s call for citizens to avoid traveling to Japan.

Kansai Airports President Yoshiyuki Yamaya announced on Dec. 1 that weekly flights on China routes will drop from a planned peak of 525 to 348 by the second week of December--a decline of 34 percent.

The figures represent flights to and from cities across China, excluding Hong Kong and Macau.

China routes account for one-third of Kansai International Airport’s international traffic, making the downturn particularly significant.

“Honestly, we don’t know whether the reductions will stop at this level or will deepen further,” Yamaya said. “Will passenger numbers hold steady despite fewer flights, or will they fall more sharply? There is no certainty.”

The airport had initially anticipated a robust winter season, with China-bound services up 8 percent from last year’s maximum of 488 weekly flights.

This would have marked the second-highest winter volume on record.

However, since Nov. 25, Chinese airlines have begun notifying the airport of cancellations, raising uncertainty about how far the reductions will go.

Yamaya said China routes saw the largest increase during the recent Osaka-Kansai Expo, held from April to October, so the present decline was not entirely unexpected.

Following the conclusion of the expo, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi drew harsh criticism from China in early November when she discussed a possible Japanese response to a Taiwan contingency. 

Tensions continue simmering, with the Nanjing route now suspended at neighboring Kobe Airport.

Despite the looming challenges, Kansai Airports remains financially resilient.

For the April-September period, the company reported operating profits of 39.4 billion yen ($253 million), up 29 percent year-on-year, marking its highest result for the period since assuming airport operations in 2016.

Boosted by expo-related demand, Yamaya expressed confidence that even with reduced China services, the company will still deliver profits for the full fiscal year.

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