All scheduled flights on 49 air routes between China and Japan have been cancelled for February 2026, according to multiple aviation data providers and official carrier notices, marking one of the sharpest single-month contractions in air links between the two Asian neighbors since the pandemic era.

The sweeping suspensions, driven by a combination of security warnings, diplomatic tensions and weakening demand, are already reverberating through tourism markets, airline networks and travel plans during what is typically one of the busiest holiday travel periods for Chinese travelers.

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Scope of the February Cancellations

Flight information platforms tracking China Japan traffic report that, as of January 26, all scheduled services on 49 individual routes between cities in mainland China and Japan have been pulled from the February timetable. These are not isolated frequency cuts but full route suspensions, meaning no commercial passenger flights will operate at all on those specific city pairs during the month.

The suspended routes sit within a much broader pattern of reductions. Industry schedule data shows that Chinese carriers have trimmed more than half of their planned China Japan capacity for the first quarter of 2026, repeatedly downgrading schedules since November 2025. Analysts note that many of the 49 fully cancelled routes are so-called secondary or regional links, connecting mid-sized Chinese cities to Japanese regional airports, but several major trunk routes have also seen full cancellations or deep frequency cuts.

While not every China Japan route is shuttered, the loss of 49 links in a single month has materially reshaped the network map. In January, the cancellation rate for flights from the Chinese mainland to Japan already reached nearly half of all scheduled services, and the February wave of complete route suspensions pushes the restructuring further, leaving significantly fewer options even on corridors that remain technically open.

Key Routes and Cities Affected

The route suspensions touch a wide range of departure points across mainland China, from major coastal hubs to inland provincial capitals. Data compiled from airline filings and schedule services indicates that departures from Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, Dalian and Guangzhou rank among those seeing the largest absolute number of cancellations, reflecting their prior role as primary gateways to Japan.

Among the fully cancelled routes are services from Beijing Daxing to Osaka Kansai, Chengdu Tianfu to Osaka Kansai, and Chongqing Jiangbei to Osaka Kansai, each of which now reports a 100 percent cancellation rate for February. Other links connecting Chinese regional airports such as Changsha, Guiyang, Hefei, Kunming, Linyi, Nanchang, Ningbo, Yangzhou, Yantai and Yuncheng to Japanese destinations have been withdrawn entirely, leaving those cities without any nonstop Japan service at all for the month.

On the Japanese side, a number of regional airports that had been actively courting Chinese traffic have lost direct links, including airports serving Sapporo, Niigata, Shizuoka, Takamatsu, Toyama, Saga and several others. While some trunk routes into Tokyo and Osaka continue to see operations by Japanese carriers, the dense mesh of secondary connections that had developed in recent years has been abruptly thinned, forcing passengers onto more complex routings or entirely different destinations.

Drivers: Security Warnings, Diplomatic Tension and Seismic Risk

The timing and scale of the February suspensions reflect a confluence of political, security and risk factors rather than purely commercial decisions. In recent weeks, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its diplomatic missions in Japan have issued formal reminders urging Chinese citizens to reconsider or defer non-essential travel to Japan. Officials cited a perceived deterioration in public security conditions, a rise in criminal incidents reportedly involving Chinese nationals, and a series of earthquakes affecting certain Japanese regions, coupled with official Japanese warnings about possible further seismic activity.

These advisories landed against a backdrop of already strained bilateral relations. Chinese and Japanese leaders have been at odds over regional security issues and Taiwan, and Beijing had previously directed airlines to maintain significant capacity cuts on Japan routes through at least March 2026. While carriers nominally retain discretion over which specific flights to remove, the result has been a broad retrenchment encompassing both political sensitivities and operational risk-management considerations.

Industry experts say the travel warnings create a powerful signal that shapes both consumer behavior and airline planning. Once official guidance against travel is in place, demand often falls sharply, making it harder to sustain even commercially viable routes. The earthquakes and safety concerns add another layer for risk-averse leisure travelers, particularly families planning trips around the Lunar New Year and early spring school holidays.

Impact on Travelers and Tourism Flows

The immediate fallout is being felt by would-be tourists, business travelers and those with family ties across the East China Sea. With entire routes grounded, many passengers holding February tickets have been forced to reroute via alternative Chinese gateways, shift to Japanese carriers on surviving routes, postpone their journeys or cancel travel altogether. Travel agents in major Chinese cities report a wave of itinerary changes and refund requests as the new cancellations filter into booking systems.

Outbound tourism to Japan had already been losing momentum before the latest cuts. According to figures released by Japanese tourism authorities, visits from mainland China in December 2025 were down by more than a third month on month and by a substantial margin compared with a year earlier. The February suspensions are expected to drag those numbers down further, particularly because they coincide with the peak travel period around the Spring Festival, which begins on February 17, 2026.

On the Japanese side, hospitality operators, retailers and regional tourism boards that had pinned recovery hopes on a rebound in Chinese visitation are bracing for a weaker-than-forecast winter and early spring. Smaller cities and resort areas that had become increasingly reliant on charter flights and niche routes from secondary Chinese markets are especially exposed, with limited ability to replace lost traffic from other source countries on short notice.

How Airlines Are Responding With Policies and Network Shifts

China’s three largest state-owned airlines Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines have all issued special handling measures for passengers booked on Japan-related routes. For tickets issued before midday on January 26 with departure dates from March 29 to October 24, 2026, many Japan-bound, Japan-originating or Japan-transit itineraries are now eligible for one-time free refunds or fee-free date changes, subject in some cases to fare differences.

Previously, similar flexibility policies only applied to departures until late March, but the large-scale route cancellations and travel warning extensions have prompted carriers to lengthen the window. Budget and regional operators have followed suit with their own sets of waivers, though details vary by airline and fare class. Across the board, passengers are being encouraged to contact airlines or agencies proactively rather than wait for automatic rebooking, as alternative capacity is limited.

From a network-planning perspective, Chinese carriers have been systematically pruning Japan flights since late 2025, reallocating aircraft to domestic trunk routes and other international markets deemed to have stronger demand or lower political risk. Schedule data indicates that, compared with initial winter plans filed in November 2025, Chinese airlines have cut well over half of their February and March one-way flights to Japan and a similar proportion of seats, with further tactical adjustments still possible as conditions evolve.

Economic and Industry Implications

The sudden removal of dozens of air links has economic consequences that stretch beyond the aviation sector itself. Airlines face immediate revenue losses on suspended routes, although some of that capacity can be redeployed. Ground handling providers, airport retailers and service companies at both ends of the affected routes see lower footfall and reduced income, particularly at regional airports where Chinese traffic represented a disproportionate share of international volume.

For Japan, the setback is particularly acute in regions that marketed heavily to Chinese group travelers and independent tourists, from ski resorts and hot spring towns to outlet malls and city-center shopping districts. A weaker yuan, lingering geopolitical unease and now the physical absence of flights make it harder to restore pre-2020 visitor levels. Chinese outbound travelers, meanwhile, may redirect trips to other nearby destinations or shift spending back to domestic tourism, affecting cross-border retail and luxury sectors that depend on high-spending visitors.

Within China, the recalibration of international networks may accelerate a broader pivot in outbound tourism patterns. As flights to Japan, once a top short-haul choice, remain restricted or unreliable, travelers may favor more stable destinations in Southeast Asia, the Middle East or Europe, where schedules are perceived as less vulnerable to sudden political or security-related changes. Industry observers caution that even if diplomatic tensions ease, rebuilding a dense web of China Japan routes will take time and sustained demand, especially in a cost-conscious environment for carriers.

What February Travelers Should Expect Next

For passengers booked to travel between China and Japan in February 2026, the picture is likely to remain fluid in the short term, but there are some clear patterns. The 49 routes that have cancelled all flights are not expected to resume before March at the earliest, and in many cases airlines have not yet filed updated schedules beyond the end of the winter season on March 28. Travelers on those city pairs should work on the assumption that they will need to reroute or alter their plans rather than waiting for last-minute reinstatements.

On major trunk routes that still show some operations, load factors are expected to be high as remaining capacity absorbs passengers displaced from cancelled services. Fares have been volatile, with some last-minute price spikes on surviving flights contrasted with promotional efforts on less affected dates or indirect routings. Experts recommend that travelers check their flight status frequently, ensure contact details in bookings are up to date, and consider additional travel insurance where available, although policy coverage for government advisories and geopolitical disruptions can vary.

Any significant easing in the situation is likely to depend on both a reassessment of security and seismic risks and an improvement in the broader diplomatic climate. Aviation regulators and airline schedulers typically work on multi-month planning horizons, so even if travel warnings were relaxed, it could take several schedule cycles before a meaningful number of cancelled routes return to the map.

FAQ

Q1. Does the suspension mean there are no flights at all between China and Japan in February 2026?
Not entirely. The suspension applies to all scheduled flights on 49 specific routes, meaning those city pairs have no service in February, but some other major routes between China and Japan continue to operate at reduced frequency.

Q2. Which travelers are most affected by the cancellations?
Passengers flying between secondary or regional cities in both countries are most affected, as many of those links have been completely withdrawn, forcing travelers to route through larger hubs or cancel their trips.

Q3. Why did Chinese airlines cancel so many Japan routes for February?
The cancellations are driven by a combination of official travel reminders from Chinese authorities, concerns over public security incidents and recent earthquakes in Japan, as well as earlier government guidance to keep Japan capacity sharply reduced through the winter season.

Q4. Are passengers entitled to refunds or free changes?
Major Chinese carriers have introduced special policies allowing many passengers with Japan-related tickets issued before January 26 and departing through October 24, 2026, to obtain free refunds or one free change, although exact terms depend on the airline and fare type.

Q5. How can I find out if my specific route is one of the 49 that are fully cancelled?
Travelers should check directly with their airline or booking platform, using their reservation code, as affected flights typically show as cancelled in booking systems and airline customer service can confirm whether the entire route is suspended.

Q6. Will Japanese airlines continue flying to China even if Chinese carriers cut back?
Some Japanese carriers are still operating selected routes to major Chinese cities, but overall capacity on the Japan China corridor is significantly lower than originally planned, and schedules remain subject to change.

Q7. How long are these route suspensions expected to last?
At present, the full cancellations are confirmed for February 2026, and many schedule adjustments extend through the end of the winter timetable on March 28, with future decisions likely to depend on political and security developments.

Q8. I am traveling for business. Are there any exemptions or special arrangements?
There are no broad exemptions for business travelers; they are subject to the same flight cancellations and rebooking rules as leisure passengers, though corporate travel managers may be able to help secure alternative routings on remaining services.

Q9. Could more flights be cancelled after February?
Yes, airlines have already filed substantial cuts for March and may make further adjustments if demand remains weak or if official guidance against travel to Japan stays in place, so travelers with later departures should monitor their bookings closely.

Q10. What should I do if my February flight between China and Japan is cancelled?
You should contact your airline or travel agent as soon as you receive a cancellation notice, ask about available free refund or change options, explore alternative routings if travel is essential, and keep records of all communications in case of any later disputes.