An aircraft from China Eastern Airlines at Fukuoka Airport in Japan on December 14, 2025 Photo: VCG
Data from Flight Master showed that among the top international departure destinations for Chinese travelers during the 2026 Spring Festival travel season, Thailand has reclaimed the first position, while flights to Japan have declined significantly, with a year-on-year drop of 43.7 percent.
As of Thursday, a total of 2,376 flights from Chinese mainland to Japan during the Spring Festival period have been canceled, with an overall cancellation rate reaching 36 percent.
There are still more than 10 days before the start of the Spring Festival travel rush, and given the operational dynamics of flights, currently scheduled flights to Japan may face further cancellations, the platform said.
Flights to countries in Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Laos, have seen a significant increase in flights, it said.
Shanghai Pudong International Airport serves as the primary gateway for flights to Japan, accounting for nearly 50 percent of the total flights. Currently, over 1,200 outbound flights have been canceled there.
Among the top 10 airports, Nanjing Lukou International Airport, Beijing Daxing International Airport, and Tianjin Binhai International Airport have reported notably high cancellation rates for flights to Japan.
During the 2026 Spring Festival travel period, outbound flights were primarily concentrated in Southeast Asia, accounting for nearly 50 percent of total flights. The share of flights to East Asia declined to 25.9 percent, or an 8.3 percent decline year-on-year, with flight volume dropping by over 20 percent compared to the same period last year.
Data from Qunar.com released on Wednesday showed that from mid-January to the Spring Festival period, the top 10 destinations with the highest hotel bookings include Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Russia, Vietnam, Macao, Australia, and Indonesia.
During the 2026 New Year’s Day holidays, South Korea ranked first in flight volume among the top 20 international/regional destinations for travelers from the Chinese mainland, registering a 6.5 percent year-on-year increase from 2025.
By contrast, flights to Japan witnessed a sharp 40.5 percent year-on-year plunge, according to data released by Flight Master earlier.
The number of flights between the Chinese mainland and South Korea was up by more than 10 percent in 2025, data from an industry platform VariFlight sent to the Global Times showed
In detail, in 2025, the number of operated flights between the Chinese mainland and South Korea was 108,526, compared with 98,027 in 2024, representing a growth rate of 10.7 percent, the platform said.
Global Times