Shanghai-based low cost carrier Spring Airlines has announced it is putting plans to add new routes to Japan on hold. The no frills carrier was a major driving force behind the upswing in Chinese tourists to Japan, but recent tension between the two countries has led to decreased ridership.
Spring Airlines currently operates flights from its base in Shanghai to Ibaraki, Takamatsu and Saga and had planned to add flights to Miyazaki, Hokkaido, Chubu and Kansai. Chairman Wang Zhenghua stated that the airline will switch to developing routes to other Asian countries instead of Japan, and he listed Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore as possible candidates. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun, Apr. 1
