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In the midst of a decline in travel to Japan due to the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis, Singapore Airlines and Jetstar have reduced their Tokyo operations. Several airlines from all over the world are witnessing decline in demand for Japan travel.
Singapore Airlines and Jetstar Airways have cut down on Tokyo-bound flights as nuclear catastrophe reduces demands for flights to the Japanese capital.
Singapore Airlines, which is one of the world’s largest carriers in terms of market value, has decided to shelve one of its two daily flights to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport from March 27 as per the company’s website. For the time being, Singapore Airlines will continue to operate its four daily services to Tokyo’s Narita. The airline has suspended its SQ636 and SQ635 flights, while flights SQ633 and SQ634 will go on with their operations.
The carrier will also be deferring the introduction of the Airbus A380 superjumbo between Singapore and Los Angeles via Tokyo Narita.
Jetstar, which is a low-cost unit of Qantas Airways, will also halve the number of services between Australia and Tokyo due to a decrease in the number of people wanting to fly to the city. Jetstar is a hugely popular budget airline among travellers who look for tickets on cheap flights between Australia to Japan. As per reports, 80 per cent of the passengers on Jetstar flights between the two nations are Japanese.
Travel and tour operators have reported flight cancellations up to 50 percent by Japanese travellers for tours to Australia after Japan faced one of its worst natural crises on March. 11.
Qantas and Jetstar, which are already facing the issue of high jet-fuel prices, are flustered with the downturn in demand from Japanese travellers. Nearly 70 percent of the Qantas group capacity between Australia and Japan is handled by Jetstar that runs 25 flights every week. The low-cost carrier, which is popular for its cheap flights, normally serves both Tokyo and Osaka.
Updates on Other Airlines
Cathay Pacific Airways, Korean AirLines and Singapore Air have also terminated their temporary capacity increases on Tokyo routes as demand goes down. The airlines offered additional seats on flights out of the Japanese capital last week as various governments advised its nationals to avoid Tokyo following an earthquake and an accident at the nuclear power plant in Fukushima.
According to the International Air Transport Association, Japan accounts for more than 6 percent of global air traffic and 10 percent of sales.
Japan Airlines, nation’s flag carrier, has augmented services to Tohoku, one of the regions most affected by the earthquake.
All Nippon Airways, a Tokyo-based carrier, is also expected to maintain regular services.
Cathay Pacific, which is flag carrier of Hong Kong, has resumed its normal operations after it flew its last evacuation flight on March 20, as per reports on the Internet.
Korean Air and Asiana Airlines will also be maintaining its regular operations, which are seven flights a day each.
Malaysian Airline System Berhad (MAS), which serves Haneda as well as Narita, is witnessing a decline in the demand for tickets on Japan-bound flights.
China Airlines, Taiwan’s biggest airline, is also observing a sharp decline in the demand for seats on flights bound for Japan.
Earlier this month, Delta Airlines temporarily suspended its new flights to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport while continuing with its operations in Narita Airport. The airline’s Los Angeles-Haneda flights will be suspended from March 23 and its Detroit-Haneda operations will be terminated starting from March 24. Travellers with tickets on these Delta flights will be rebooked on flights to Narita or they will get refunds, the company’s spokesperson said, as per various Internet sources.