Japan's Biggest Airline Urges Fewer Travel Curbs Amid Fall In Covid Cases
Covid travel restrictions in Japan have led to a drop of about 95 per cent in the number of passengers on international flights, but daily infections have dropped to fewer than 200 this month, from an August peak of more than 20,000.
Japan's biggest airline, ANA Holdings, has asked the government to ease curbs on overseas visitors, and seeks a revival of domestic tourism subsidies to spur travel as pandemic infections fall, its chief executive said on Thursday.
Coronavirus immigration curbs in Japan have led to a drop of about 95 per cent in the number of passengers on international flights, but daily infections have dropped to fewer than 200 this month, from an August peak of more than 20,000.
"When we are able to make money we should be allowed to," Shinya Katanozaka, chief executive of the carrier that has had seven consecutive quarters of losses, told Reuters in an interview.
"It will give us the strength to weather things in the future."
Last December, as COVID-19 infections began to rise, Japan halted a programme of subsidies for hotels and travel tickets that had helped ANA and rival Japan Airlines Co. boost passenger numbers on domestic flights.
The government could resume travel subsidies as soon as next month and ease entry limits for overseas visitors to 3,500 a day, Katanozaka said.
Last month, ANA increased its operating loss forecast for the year to March 31 more than four times, to 125 billion yen ($1.11 billion), and said it would cut worker headcount by a fifth over five years.
Coronavirus immigration curbs in Japan have led to a drop of about 95 per cent in the number of passengers on international flights, but daily infections have dropped to fewer than 200 this month, from an August peak of more than 20,000.
"When we are able to make money we should be allowed to," Shinya Katanozaka, chief executive of the carrier that has had seven consecutive quarters of losses, told Reuters in an interview.
"It will give us the strength to weather things in the future."
Last December, as COVID-19 infections began to rise, Japan halted a programme of subsidies for hotels and travel tickets that had helped ANA and rival Japan Airlines Co. boost passenger numbers on domestic flights.
The government could resume travel subsidies as soon as next month and ease entry limits for overseas visitors to 3,500 a day, Katanozaka said.
Last month, ANA increased its operating loss forecast for the year to March 31 more than four times, to 125 billion yen ($1.11 billion), and said it would cut worker headcount by a fifth over five years.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
