Cathay Pacific will allow Hong Kong travellers to ‘modify’ flights to Japan

Hong Kong’s flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways will allow travellers who have booked tickets to Japan to “modify” their flights after Beijing’s earlier call for Chinese citizens to avoid going to the country.\nIn a statement on Wednesday, the airline said it was “closely monitoring the situation” as tensions escalated over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion that Tokyo could deploy military forces in the event of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait.\n“In light of the travel advisories issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and the Hong Kong SAR Government, we are offering customers who have booked flights to Japan the option to modify their travel plans,” Cathay said in a statement.\n“We will do our utmost to provide flexibility and accommodate their needs.”\nPassengers who have booked flights directly with the carrier can contact the airline if they wish to change their bookings. Those who booked through travel agents should reach out to their agents directly.\nBut the airline did not specify whether passengers would be allowed to cancel or change their Japan-bound flights for free.\nThe Post has reached out to HK Express, the budget arm of Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Airlines and Greater Bay Airlines for comment.\nChina’s foreign ministry issued a warning late on Friday night, urging its people to avoid travelling to Japan as the safety of Chinese citizens there had “continued to deteriorate”.\nThe Hong Kong Security Bureau on Saturday also urged residents to exercise caution and prioritise personal safety in Japan, citing a rise in attacks against Chinese citizens in the country.\nFollowing the warning, Air China, China Southern and China Eastern issued separate statements on Saturday, saying they would issue refunds or allow ticket holders to change their bookings for flights between Saturday and December 31, without having to pay additional charges. The offer applied to tickets bought before noon on Saturday.\nChinese airlines have recorded about 491,000 cancellations of tickets to Japan since Saturday – roughly 32 per cent of total bookings to the popular destination - a veteran aviation analyst told the Post earlier.\n\nBeijing’s travel warning marked an escalation in the row over Takaichi’s suggestion that Tokyo could deploy military forces in a cross-strait conflict.\nThe ministry said the Japanese leader had made provocative remarks on Taiwan-related issues, severely undermining the atmosphere for Sino-Japanese exchanges and posing significant risks to the safety of Chinese citizens in Japan.\nAccording to the latest available data from Japan National Tourism Organisation, the total number of visitors to Japan in September was 3.25 million, a 13.7 per cent year-on-year increase. Among them, 149,500 were Hongkongers, up 12.1 per cent compared to the same period last year.\nBetween January and April, 911,200 Hong Kong residents visited the country, a 12.8 per cent increase from the same period last year.\nAbout 2.68 million Hongkongers visited Japan last year, accounting for around 7.3 per cent of the total number of foreign visitors to the country.\n