Apr 18 (Japan Times) - Japan’s top airlines are operating a majority of their domestic capacity even though COVID-19 has caused seats on flights to be left mostly empty, amid a lack of clear government directives on the functioning of transport infrastructure during the crisis.
ANA Holdings Inc and Japan Airlines Co Ltd (JAL), the nation’s two biggest airlines, have cut around 90% of international flights but left their domestic networks relatively intact, industry data showed. The two normally fly around 800 or more domestic flights daily.
They are currently flying around two-thirds of capacity with 10% of the usual demand, according to the airlines. That is despite Japan declaring a one-month state of emergency in major cities on April 7 that was expanded Thursday to include the entire country.
The move is set to add further financial strain on the Japanese carriers. Their peers in India, Thailand and the Philippines have grounded all domestic flights under government orders, while those in Australia and New Zealand are flying less than 5% of their normal schedules due to travel restrictions and reduced demand.
Japan has not restricted domestic travel, and authorities in Tokyo and other big cities are only requesting that people stay in and asking bars and restaurants to temporarily close without penalties if they don’t.
