Published on November 19, 2025
Travel plans across Japan hit a major snag today. Hundreds of passengers found themselves stranded or severely delayed. Operational issues at two key airports caused significant problems. Specifically, Tokyo International (Haneda Airport) and New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido bore the brunt of the disruption. In fact, reports confirmed 24 flight cancellations. Furthermore, an astonishing 635 total delays were logged. Crucially, Air Do alone accounted for every single cancellation. Major carriers like All Nippon and Japan Airlines also experienced substantial delays, compounding the chaos. Therefore, travelers heading between the capital and Hokkaido faced the most acute difficulties. This widespread disruption inevitably raises questions about scheduling robustness in the nation’s air traffic system. Consequently, a closer look at the data reveals the true scale of the impact.

Major Airports Affected

The bulk of the recorded air traffic turbulence was concentrated at two primary facilities critical to the domestic flow of passengers across Japan.

Tokyo International (Haneda Airport): This facility, which serves as a vital domestic and increasing international hub, bore the brunt of the scheduling difficulties. A total of 12 cancellations were recorded, signifying an immediate grounding of planned services. More profoundly, a staggering 515 delays were logged at Haneda Airport. This high volume of delays confirms a systemic slowdown that impacted hundreds of travelers, ensuring that the ripple effects of this operational crisis will be propagated throughout the entire Japanese domestic air travel network. The scale of the delays at this major Tokyo gateway reflects significant congestion and scheduling difficulties.
New Chitose Airport: Substantial travel disruption was also officially reported at New Chitose Airport, which functions as the principal air access point for the northern island of Hokkaido. Twelve total flights were subjected to cancellation, presenting a critical block on inbound and outbound traffic for the Hokkaido region. Furthermore, 120 delays were recorded at New Chitose Airport. The disruption at both Haneda and New Chitose heavily impacted the critical air route connecting the nation’s capital of Tokyo with the essential gateway to Hokkaido.

Impacted Airlines

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The operational burden was not distributed equally among the carriers. One airline, in particular, accounted for all the reported cancellations, while other major domestic operators were significantly impacted by cascading delays.
Air Do: This regional carrier was the most severely affected by grounded flights, having accounted for all 24 total cancellations, split evenly with 12 at the Tokyo hub and 12 at the Hokkaido gateway. In addition to the grounded services, Air Do also registered 48 delays in total (26 at Haneda, 22 at New Chitose), indicating a severe strain on its operational capacity.

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All Nippon (ANA): The widespread nature of the scheduling issues resulted in considerable difficulties for All Nippon Airways. The carrier registered a substantial 174 delays across the two affected airports (158 at Haneda, 16 at New Chitose). These figures suggest that significant network congestion or operational headwinds were faced by the operator, even in the absence of outright cancellations.
Japan Airlines (JAL): Japan Airlines was also heavily impacted by the operational slowdowns. A combined total of 231 delays was attributed to the carrier, with 199 at the Tokyo facility and 32 at the Hokkaido gateway. This distribution highlights the severity of the scheduling pressure experienced at the Haneda hub.
Peach Aviation: This airline was noted to have been affected by 11 delays solely at New Chitose Airport.
Furthermore, reports indicate that several other airlines also faced minor delays at both affected airports, underscoring the broad-based operational issue across Japan’s air transport system.

Probable Impact on Local Tourism

The collective flight disruption is highly probable to generate a tangible ripple effect on tourism in the affected cities and prefectures. The immediate consequence of 24 flight cancellations means that planned visits to the major metropolitan area of Tokyo and the wider Hokkaido region have been instantly compromised for a significant volume of inbound and outbound travelers. Given the combined total of over 600 delays, the scheduled movement of travel groups and individual sightseers to popular destinations in Japan will be deferred, leading to immediate revenue losses in accommodation and hospitality sectors.
For the island of Hokkaido, which is heavily reliant on consistent air service from the main island of Japan, the 12 cancellations at New Chitose translate directly to fewer immediate tourist arrivals. The disruption to flights, particularly those operated by Air Do on the vital Tokyo-Hokkaido route, creates an impedance to the flow of leisure travelers. This operational shortfall will inevitably place pressure on the tourism and hospitality sectors in cities across Hokkaido that rely on the prompt delivery of passengers from the Tokyo area. The disruption is compounded by the fact that the delays at Haneda Airport will cascade across subsequent connections, potentially disrupting multi-stop itineraries throughout Japan.

What Affected Passengers Can Do Now

Passengers whose journeys have been affected by the cancellations and extensive delays are strongly advised to take immediate action to mitigate further disruption to their travel plans across Japan.
Firstly, the specific status of any flight must be urgently ascertained via the official channels of the operating airline. For those affected by Air Do cancellations, immediate contact is required to determine the specific status of their booking. Typically, under operational disruption of this magnitude, the following options are made available by the carrier: rebooking onto the next available service, which may be several days later given the density of the route between Tokyo and Hokkaido, or the initiation of a full refund for the unused ticket segment.
Secondly, due to the recorded congestion at Tokyo International (Haneda Airport) and New Chitose Airport, it is strongly advised that alternative transport options, such as the extensive rail or bus networks, be considered for short-haul or inter-city travel within Japan, where possible. This will minimize the risk of further disruption stemming from the air travel operational issues. Flexibility and the proactive management of travel plans are essential in navigating this significant disruption to air travel in Japan.
-The information provided is sourced from FlightAware.

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Tags: haneda airport, Hokkaido Travel, Japan travel disruption, New Chitose Airport, Tokyo Travel

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