On December 22, 13 Japanese airlines released consolidated booking figures for the year-end and new year period (December 26 to January 4, 2026). International route bookings rose 10% year on year to approximately 694,000 passengers.
Routes to North America and Europe performed particularly well. This year’s new year holiday in Japan can stretch to up to nine consecutive days, and with the yen remaining weak, demand for overseas travel has increased.
By contrast, bookings on China routes declined. The combined bookings of All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) were below last year’s level. Total reservations on China routes for the two carriers stood at around 66,000 passengers, down 7% from about 71,000 a year earlier. ANA recorded a 4% increase, while JAL saw a sharp 21% decline.
ANA commented that “the number of flights operating from China to Japan is increasing, and with the longer holiday period, business travel demand from expatriates and other travelers is providing support.” JAL, on the other hand, said that “a decline in demand, partly due to the deterioration in Japan–China relations, has had an impact.”
For domestic routes, total bookings across 11 airlines reached approximately 3.316 million passengers, essentially flat compared with the previous year. ANA’s domestic bookings rose 1% to about 1.469 million passengers, while the JAL Group as a whole saw a 3% decline to around 1.027 million.
The booking data also highlight a growing polarization in travel behavior. Overseas, the wealth effect from rising stock prices is contributing to a noticeable increase in longer-stay travel, particularly among higher-income travelers.
