The number of round-trip flights by Chinese airlines linking cities in China and Japan has topped 1,000 per week, with China regaining top spot from South Korea in the frequency of flight connections with Japan, a Japanese government source said Tuesday.
Behind the rise is a bilateral accord in September to relax rules on Chinese airlines' round-trip flights, pushing them up by more than 230, to about 1,130 — an all-time record — for the winter timetable that started on Oct. 27, compared with the summer schedule.
China last ranked first in the number of round-trip flights to Japan in the 2009 summer season.