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Chinese airlines extend free of charge change and cancellations policy for flights to Japan until end of October
January 27th 2026
On January 26, 2025, “China’s Big Three” airlines, Air China, China Southern Airlines (CSA), and China Eastern Airlines (CEA) extended their free-of-charge change and cancellation policies for flights to Japan until October 24, 2026. Read More » On the same day, the Foreign Ministry of the People’s Republic of China issued a warning reminding Chinese citizens to avoid traveling to Japan during the Spring Festival holiday, the country’s longest public holiday celebrated during the Lunar New Year. Citing “a surge in crimes targeting Chinese citizens” and earthquakes, the Chinese foreign ministry said nationals “face serious security threats in Japan.” The warning comes at a time when the government in Beijing is angry over a comment Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made in early November about Taiwan. The airlines first announced the policies in November, following Takaichi’s remark and then last month extended them until this March. The number of Chinese tourists to Japan dropped 45% in December, but overall tourist numbers to Japan hit a record high, Japan’s tourism minister said last week. Extending the cancellation policy window until the end of October means that if the diplomatic spat between the countries continues, the decline in the number of Chinese tourists in Japan will affect tourism during the National Day Golden Week holiday period.
Starting from January 26, 2026, Air China has suspended all flights on the Beijing Capital - Tokyo Narita route until the end of the Northern Winter season (March 28, 2026), the Aviation Wire reported. In an announcement published on January 22, 2026, the Chinese national carrier said the decision was made due to “aircraft scheduling.” At the beginning of the current winter season, the Star Alliance carrier was operating two flights per day on the route, reducing the service to one flight per day since December 15, 2025. The Beijing Capital - Tokyo Haneda will be operated five times per day (35 times per week) under the winter schedule, but Air China has already planned cancellations of specific flights. The Aviation Wire explains that a more careful approach to canceling flights to Tokyo Haneda is caused by the fact that at the airport, it is difficult to regain slots once they have been given up. Air China has already scheduled cancellations of several rotations on 11 routes until the end of the Northern Winter Season. The affected routes are: Beijing-Osaka Kansai, Shanghai-Osaka Kansai, Shanghai-Tokyo Narita, Shanghai-Chubu, Beijing-Chubu, Shanghai-Fukuoka, Shanghai-Sendai, Beijing-Dalian-Sendai, Beijing-Naha, Beijing-Sapporo, and Beijing-Dalian-Hiroshima.
