Narita plans a record 4,051 international movements a week this winter as its China flights fall 34%; Chubu's mainland China flights are about 70% below last winter's peak.
Cover image: Narita Airport Terminal 2 (file photo) — photo by Banbam1029, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Narita International Airport expects a record 4,051 international aircraft movements a week this winter, its first time above 4,000, according to the winter-schedule summary its operator, Narita International Airport Corporation (NAA), released on 22 October, as reported in Japanese by Aviation Wire and sky-budget. Narita's China passenger movements fall 34 per cent to 359 a week, while South Korea adds 180 to reach 744. The northern winter schedule began today, 25 October, and runs to 27 March 2027.
Nagoya's Chubu Centrair shows the same shift more sharply: mainland China falls to 21 weekly round trips from 71 at last winter's peak, while Taiwan reaches a record 50, according to the airport company's 23 October plan, reported by Aviation Wire. Korea and Taiwan grow at both airports.
How busy will Narita be this winter?
NAA counted scheduled flights between 1 and 14 November. Total weekly movements reach 4,945, up 4 per cent and the highest since the airport opened. By our calculation that is only two more than the previous high, 4,943 in summer 2019, as Honichi reported in April.
International movements rise by 212 to 4,051 (3,382 passenger and a record 669 cargo). That clears this summer's previous high of 3,963, reported by Honichi, by 88.
Narita expects 99 scheduled airlines, a winter record, sky-budget reported. Parata Air, Thai VietJet, Air Niugini and Biman Bangladesh Airlines join; MSC Air Cargo and AirAsia Philippines have left.
Which markets are replacing China at Narita?
Korea's gain of 180 weekly movements almost matches China's loss of 185. By our calculation, China's share of Narita's international passenger movements drops from 16.9 per cent to 10.6 per cent; Korea's rises to 22.0 per cent.
| Narita, weekly movements | Winter 2025 | Winter 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Korea | 564 | 744 | +31.9% |
| Asia and Middle East | 872 | 929 | +6.5% |
| Mainland China | 544 | 359 | -34.0% |
| Taiwan | 308 | 350 | +13.6% |
| Hong Kong | 266 | 290 | +9.0% |
| Europe | 78 | 96 | +23.1% |
| All international passenger | 3,212 | 3,382 | +5.3% |
| International cargo | 627 | 669 | +6.7% |
| Domestic | 916 | 894 | -2.4% |
Count period 1 to 14 November. Source: NAA via Aviation Wire. Winter 2025 market figures derived from reported changes; percentages are our calculation.
Compared with last winter, Taichung, Delhi, Port Moresby and Dhaka are new, plus cargo-only New York and Jinan, sky-budget reported. Oakland and seven Chinese cities have dropped out: Zhengzhou, Changsha, Kunming, Nanjing, Wuhan, Xi'an and Yantai.
Aviation Wire ties the China cuts to deteriorating Japan–China relations. The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) says the Chinese government has advised its citizens several times since November 2025 to avoid travel to Japan; Chinese arrivals fell 44.5 per cent in September, as our report on Japan's September visitor arrivals explains.
What is changing at Chubu Centrair?
Centrair compares its 1 November count with earlier seasons' peak weeks, so comparisons are not like for like. International passenger flights total 265 weekly round trips, 15 per cent below last winter's peak of 313, across 18 cities and 24 airlines.
Taiwan reaches 50, above the 49 of January 2020, and 53 during November, when Starlux plans daily Taichung flights, Aviation Wire reported. Korea rises to 98 from 91. Mainland China falls to 21, serving only Shanghai Pudong, Lanzhou, Qingdao and Tianjin. By our calculation China's share drops from 22.7 per cent to 7.9 per cent.
Southeast Asia falls to 51 from 58. Europe goes to zero from 1 November, after Finnair suspends its seasonal Helsinki flights from 30 October.
What about Kansai, Kobe and later launches?
Kansai Airports, which published its plan earlier this month, expects 1,226.8 weekly international passenger flights on average, down 2 per cent, with China routes down 37 per cent because their recovery outlook is unclear, Aviation Wire reported on 19 October.
Kobe City's international charter plan covers only Seoul, Cheongju, Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung. Trinity Airways, formerly T'way Air, starts Seoul on 18 December, and Asiana's Kobe flights operate as Korean Air from 17 December, in line with Korean Air's Asiana integration. Starlux opens Kobe's first Kaohsiung route on 1 January 2027.
At Narita, Air New Zealand plans Christchurch from 27 November and Air Astana Almaty from 1 December. Saudia announced a 17 November start for Riyadh in July, the date Aviation Wire gives; sky-budget says 13 November. Check with the airline, given the restrictions at Riyadh's airport.
Frequently asked questions
When does Japan's winter 2026 flight schedule run?
The northern winter schedule runs from 25 October 2026 to 27 March 2027 at Narita, Chubu Centrair, Kansai and Kobe. Narita's headline figures count scheduled flights between 1 and 14 November, so later launches such as Air Astana's Almaty service on 1 December are excluded.
How many flights will Narita have to mainland China this winter?
Narita plans 359 weekly passenger movements on China routes, 34 per cent fewer than the 544 of winter 2025 and nine fewer than this summer, according to NAA figures reported by Aviation Wire. A movement is one take-off or one landing. Seven Chinese cities, including Wuhan and Xi'an, have left the network.
Why are there fewer flights between Japan and China?
JNTO says the Chinese government has advised its citizens several times since November 2025 to avoid travel to Japan, and that fewer flights held back Chinese arrivals in September, when they fell 44.5 per cent. Aviation Wire links Narita's cuts to deteriorating Japan–China relations, and Kansai Airports cites an unclear recovery outlook.
Which international destinations are new at Narita this winter?
Compared with last winter, Taichung, Delhi, Port Moresby and Dhaka are new, sky-budget reported. Air New Zealand plans Christchurch from 27 November and Air Astana Almaty from 1 December. Saudia announced a 17 November start for Riyadh in July; sky-budget gives 13 November.
Sources
- Aviation Wire (Japanese), Narita winter schedule plan
- sky-budget (Japanese), Narita winter 2026 schedule
- Aviation Wire (Japanese), Chubu winter schedule plan
- Aviation Wire (Japanese), Kansai winter schedule plan
- Aviation Wire (Japanese), Kobe winter schedule
- Honichi (Japanese), Narita summer 2026 schedule
- JNTO, September 2026 visitor arrivals (PDF, Japanese)
