Japan's Skymark Airlines Inc. said Wednesday it will temporarily stop accepting reservations on about 70% of its routes from Feb.15 to 28, as it is considering suspending or reducing flights during those dates due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Skymark said it will decide on new flight schedules while closely watching to see when the government ends a state of emergency, declared earlier this month in the Tokyo metropolitan area and some other areas following record numbers of coronavirus infections.
The Tokyo-based budget carrier, which is currently operating only domestic flights, mainly from Tokyo's Haneda airport, plans to offer transfers and refunds to customers who have already booked their flights during the period, without requiring additional fees or charges.
The carrier said it will continue to accept reservations on the remainder of its routes, including those between Haneda Airport and Sapporo.
On Wednesday, it also announced plans to reduce flights from Feb. 1 to 14, bringing the operation rate during the period to 28.3% of its original plan.