Chinese budget carrier Spring Airlines stopped selling one-way tickets between China and Japan for ¥1 just two days after it launched the promotional campaign, apparently due to local criticism in China amid the Senkakus sovereignty row.
Since Shanghai-based Spring Airlines started selling the ¥1 tickets Tuesday, Chinese microblogging sites have reported numerous posts opposing the campaign, including some urging people not to travel to Japan.
A senior official of the airline declined to say why the campaign was axed so soon.
The Chinese carrier started selling some of the promotional tickets for flights from Shanghai to Saga and Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, to counter declining passenger numbers after Japan's nationalization last month of three of the Senkaku islets.
In September, Spring Airlines' passenger traffic on the Shanghai-Saga route dropped some 19 percentage points from August to 63 percent of available capacity, while traffic on Shanghai- Takamatsu flights also fell to 63 percent.