Japan Airlines President: "International Flight Bookings Tripled After Japanese Government's Visa-Free Entry Announcement"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Japan will allow visa-free entry starting from the 11th, and the president of Japan Airlines (JAL) revealed that international flight reservations from overseas to Japan have tripled compared to before the Japanese government's announcement.

According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Asakasa Yuji, president of Japan Airlines, said this during a meeting with reporters. Looking at the number of international flight reservations for Japan Airlines departing from overseas to Japan, the number of tickets booked for flights in November and December between September 23 and 29 was more than three times higher than those booked between September 9 and 15. The Japanese government announced the visa-free entry policy on September 23.

President Asakasa stated that the weak yen will greatly help expand tourism demand, noting that many customers are coming from Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. He also mentioned that the tourism season, including autumn foliage, will contribute to demand. On the other hand, demand for international flights from Japan abroad is "still quite weak," and he assessed that business travel demand as well as overseas travel demand due to the weak yen phenomenon are low.

President Asakasa forecasted that international flight demand will return to pre-COVID-19 levels only by 2025. He referred to the global shortage of airport staff, including in Europe, saying, "Even if we want to operate flights, many airports cannot accept them due to a lack of personnel." He added that China's 'zero-COVID' policy and the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war are also factors.

Earlier, Japan Airlines announced on the 3rd that it will hire cabin crew for the first time in three years. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, new employee recruitment was suspended in 2020 and 2021 except for some positions such as pilots. However, with the easing of entry restrictions this year and the expected recovery in air travel demand, Japan Airlines began securing manpower by recruiting 120 cabin crew members, 80 pilots, and 100 ground staff employees.