AirAsia Japan has confirmed that it has decided to cease operations effective 5 October 2020.
Since its incorporation in July 2014, the company has been operating domestic and international flights from its base in Chubu Centrair International Airport. The airline says that the COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions and the uncertainties it has created “have severely curtailed demand for business and leisure travel resulting in flight reductions, cancellations and grounding of aircraft. These factors have weighed heavily on the Company's ability to continue operations”.
Representative Director and COO of AirAsia Japan, Jun Aida said, “Despite our unrelenting efforts to sustain operations through successive and wide-ranging cost reduction initiatives, we have concluded that it would be an extremely challenging feat for us to continue operating without any visibility and certainty of a post-pandemic recovery path.
“I would like to express our deepest gratitude and appreciation to our loyal guests and other stakeholders who have supported us all along. This painful decision to cease operations was decided neither in haste nor taken lightly. It was agreed upon after conducting a thorough business review.
AirAsia Japan has cancelled all flights and advised all affected guests that they will be contacted via email with further information within the next 7 days.
The cessation only affects the domestic and international flights operated by AirAsia Japan in Japan with letter code DJ and does not affect other flights into and out of Japan operated by other airlines within the AirAsia Group. International services to Japan, from Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines will resume in the future after travel restrictions are lifted and borders with Japan are reopened, says the airline group.