Japan Airlines Co. and All Nippon Airways Co. said Wednesday they will reduce their domestic flight schedule for a week, the first such cutback as the spread of the new coronavirus prompts businesspeople and tourists to curtail their travel plans.
JAL and ANA said they will cut the number of flights departing from and arriving at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Itami Airport in Osaka, and elsewhere from Friday to next Thursday, citing reduced passenger numbers.
JAL said in a statement the reduction is also in response to "the change in environment where sports and cultural events have been canceled or postponed nationwide to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus."
ANA said it will cut more than 200 flights in the seven-day period, including decreasing its 17 daily round-trip flights connecting Haneda and Sapporo to 12 or 13 a day.
Last week, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe asked organizers of big events scheduled for the next two weeks to consider canceling or postponing them, prompting many mass gatherings to be put off nationwide.
Japanese companies are also asking employees to consider changing their schedules for business trips and meetings with customers, while more employees are opting to work from home as the government and firms encourage teleworking.