Travelers across Japan are facing another day of disruption as domestic and regional flights are curtailed, delayed, or rerouted across some of the country’s busiest corridors. Major carriers including All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan Airlines (JAL), Jetstar Japan, and their regional affiliates have grounded or canceled more than 30 flights, with hundreds more delays rippling through key hubs such as Osaka, Fukuoka, Kagoshima, and Hokkaido. The latest wave of disruption, unfolding on February 11, 2026, underscores just how fragile Japan’s highly connected aviation network can be when operational pressures and adverse conditions collide.
Another Difficult Day for Domestic Flyers in Japan
On February 11, 2026, Japanese airports woke to a familiar but unwelcome scenario. Schedules that usually run with clockwork precision were upended as cancellations and delays mounted across major routes. While today’s tally runs into the dozens rather than the hundreds, the impact is significant because it hits some of the country’s most heavily traveled domestic corridors at the start of the workweek.
Osaka, a key gateway for both business travelers and leisure visitors, has reported disruptions at Itami Airport, which handles the bulk of domestic traffic in the Kansai region. Flights to and from Tokyo, Fukuoka, and Hokkaido have been particularly affected. In southern Kyushu, Kagoshima and nearby regional airports are grappling with a combination of cancellations and rolling delays, straining connections to both larger hubs and remote island communities.
In northern Japan, Hokkaido’s New Chitose Airport is again in the spotlight as knock-on effects from earlier weather and congestion issues feed into today’s schedule. While not all the disruptions are severe enough to shut down operations entirely, the cumulative effect is a patchwork of gaps in service that make point-to-point planning challenging for travelers.
Which Airlines and Routes Are Hit the Hardest?
The latest disruptions are spread across multiple carriers, but ANA, JAL, and their affiliated regional airlines remain at the center of the turbulence. ANA Wings and Japan Air Commuter, which operate many short-haul and feeder routes, have been among those contending with cancellations and significant delays on flights linking secondary cities to major hubs. For passengers, that often means a missed onward connection in Osaka or Tokyo rather than just a simple delay on a single leg.
Jetstar Japan, a key low-cost player in the domestic market, continues to operate its network out of Narita and Kansai, but with selected services curtailed or retimed. Routes touching Osaka, Fukuoka, and Hokkaido are being closely monitored, as any last-minute crew or aircraft imbalance can quickly trigger further cancellations on these high-demand segments. Travelers using Jetstar Japan to connect from regional cities to international gateways such as Tokyo and Osaka should expect revised departure times and, in some cases, a shift to alternative flights.
Among the most affected domestic corridors are those linking Tokyo with Osaka, Fukuoka, and Sapporo, as well as cross-country routes connecting Osaka to Kyushu and Hokkaido. Secondary hubs, such as Kagoshima and Miyazaki, are experiencing a smaller number of outright cancellations but a disproportionately high number of delays, complicating tight domestic connections for both residents and visitors attempting multi-city itineraries.
Operational Strain, Weather, and a Network on Edge
The immediate cause of each cancellation or delay may differ – from localized weather problems to runway congestion and aircraft rotation issues – but the wider picture is one of a network operating close to its limits. Earlier in the week and throughout recent months, Japan’s aviation sector has weathered several spikes in disruption, including days when hundreds of flights nationwide were delayed or canceled.
In Hokkaido and northern Japan, seasonal weather remains a recurring challenge at this time of year. Snow, low visibility, and crosswinds can force last-minute changes to approach procedures or ground handling, which then radiate through airline schedules. Even when the weather improves later in the day, the backlog of aircraft and crew can take many hours to unwind, leaving passengers at airports far from the original trouble spot still feeling the effects.
Elsewhere, operational strain is being magnified by fleet and crew allocation pressures that have been building across Asia. Carriers are seeking to meet strong post-pandemic demand with aircraft that, in some cases, are overdue for maintenance or awaiting replacement. Industry-wide supply chain disruptions and aircraft delivery delays have made it more difficult for Japanese airlines to build the kind of buffer capacity that would normally protect against days like this. The result is a system where a relatively modest shock can create widespread disruption.
Airline Strategies: From Emergency Cancellations to Long-Term Restructuring
Today’s disruptions are part of a broader pattern that has seen Japanese airlines revisiting not only their daily schedules but also their long-term network strategies. ANA, for example, has already set in motion a significant restructuring of its group operations. The decision to phase out its AirJapan brand by March 2026, consolidating low-cost and hybrid services under a more streamlined two-brand structure with ANA and Peach, is one reflection of the pressure to simplify and stabilize operations.
Japan Airlines is making similar moves in optimizing its domestic footprint, regularly adjusting capacity with temporary flights in peak seasons and trimming or consolidating underperforming routes. For travelers, that can translate into a more stable experience on key trunk routes but fewer frequencies or direct options on niche city pairs. When disruptions hit, the reduced redundancy in the system can make it harder to rebook passengers quickly on alternative flights.
Jetstar Japan is also heading into an era of transition, with a planned change in ownership structure as Qantas moves to sell its stake and Japan Airlines prepares to steer the brand into a new phase. While the carrier has stated that day-to-day operations will continue unchanged throughout the transition period, any large-scale corporate shift can influence future network planning, fleet deployment, and the resilience of the schedule when irregular operations occur.
Impact on Travelers: Missed Connections, Stranded Passengers, and Ripple Effects
For travelers on the ground, the numbers only tell part of the story. A single canceled departure from an airport like Osaka Itami or Fukuoka often represents dozens of disrupted onward journeys, from domestic hops to international connections via Tokyo. Passengers bound for regional airports in Kyushu or Hokkaido may find that even if their long-haul or trunk flight is operating, the final domestic leg is delayed or canceled, forcing overnight stays or complex rerouting.
Business travelers, who depend heavily on the punctuality of Japan’s domestic network, are among the hardest hit. Same-day round trips between Tokyo and major provincial cities are a staple of Japanese corporate life. When cancellations or multi-hour delays creep into these itineraries, meeting schedules collapse and alternative options such as the shinkansen become crowded at short notice, particularly on popular routes between Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka.
Leisure travelers are facing their own set of challenges. February is still peak winter season for ski tourism in Hokkaido and northern Honshu, and weather-sensitive flights into and out of New Chitose and other regional airports are vulnerable. Families and tour groups arriving from overseas may find their carefully timed domestic connections disrupted, while domestic holidaymakers returning to major cities at the end of a long weekend contend with rebooked flights and extended airport waits.
What Affected Passengers Should Do Right Now
With schedules shifting throughout the day, the most important step for anyone flying to or within Japan on February 11 and the days immediately following is to stay as close to real-time information as possible. Travelers booked on ANA, JAL, Jetstar Japan, or their partner airlines should monitor airline apps and notification systems for gate changes, revised departure times, and any offers of voluntary rebooking.
Airports including Osaka Itami, Fukuoka, Kagoshima, and New Chitose tend to see disruption concentrated in specific waves, with early morning and late afternoon peaks creating pinch points in both ground handling and air traffic management. Passengers with flights scheduled during these periods should arrive with extra time to manage check-in and security, and to navigate alternative arrangements if their flight status changes at short notice.
For those with connecting itineraries, particularly involving international flights via Tokyo Haneda or Narita, it is prudent to allow longer buffers between segments than might typically be considered necessary in Japan. While historically the country’s domestic flights have enjoyed a reputation for exceptional punctuality, the current environment of recurring operational stress suggests that extra margin can make the difference between a smooth transfer and an unplanned overnight stop.
Planning Future Trips: Lessons from a Volatile Winter
The pattern of disruptions spanning the past several weeks has important lessons for travelers planning trips to Japan in late winter and early spring. One of the key takeaways is the value of flexibility. Choosing itineraries with more than one daily frequency on a route, favoring larger hubs over single daily services to smaller airports, and booking directly with airlines that offer robust rebooking policies can all help mitigate the impact of irregular operations.
Another consideration is the growing importance of multimodal planning. On many domestic corridors, the shinkansen and other limited express rail options offer a viable backup when flights are heavily disrupted. For example, travelers moving between Tokyo and Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, or Kanazawa can often switch to rail at short notice if aviation disruptions persist. While this may not be ideal for every itinerary, having a rail fallback in mind can be invaluable when weather or congestion creates cascading delays.
Travelers who plan to visit regions more dependent on air links, such as Hokkaido, Kyushu’s remote islands, or Okinawa and surrounding archipelagos, should pay particular attention to seasonal weather trends and airline advisories. Building in an extra day at the beginning or end of a journey, especially when traveling to ski resorts or island destinations, can help absorb the shock of an unexpected cancellation or delay.
Looking Ahead: A Network Seeking Stability
Despite the current wave of disruption, there are signs that Japanese carriers are taking concrete steps to reinforce reliability over the medium term. Airlines are working to streamline their brands, rationalize overlapping networks, and modernize reservation and boarding systems ahead of key milestones in 2026. ANA, for instance, is in the process of renewing its domestic passenger service systems, a move expected to improve resilience and flexibility once fully implemented.
At the same time, airlines are incrementally boosting capacity on high-demand routes during peak travel periods and fine-tuning crew and aircraft rotations to reduce vulnerability to localized shocks. These initiatives will not eliminate bad weather or air traffic congestion, but they may help contain disruptions more quickly when they occur.
For now, however, passengers traveling today across Osaka, Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Hokkaido, and other key routes need to prepare for a less predictable experience than Japan’s aviation system has historically delivered. By building flexibility into itineraries, staying closely informed about flight status, and considering backup options when feasible, travelers can navigate this period of volatility while still enjoying the remarkable connectivity that Japan’s domestic and regional networks continue to offer.