On January 19, Japan's two biggest airlines announced reductions in their number of flights to China, blaming weakening demand amid the global economic slowdown.

All Nippon Airways Co. said it would halt regular flights between Kansai International Airport, the gateway to the western Japanese city of Osaka, and the northern Chinese city of Dalian.

ANA will also suspend the Kansai-Dalian-Shenyang route, while reducing services between Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Shanghai from the current 21 flights a week to 14, starting in early February.

"Not only business use but also demand for tourism and cargo services are sharply declining due to the global economic downturn," a company spokeswoman said.

ANA will also cut the number of flights catering exclusively to business class passengers between Narita and Mumbai, following terrorist attacks in the Indian financial capital last November.

Japan Airlines announced separately that it would reduce the number of flights on its Narita-Beijing route from 19 to 14 per week from February 10 until March 28, and on the Narita-Shanghai route from 28 to 21 per week.

JAL, Asia's biggest carrier, will also cut flights between Narita and Bangkok from 21 to 14 per week from January 20 until March 28.