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Japan Airlines experiences drop in passengers during national Obon holidays
August 19th 2026
Japan Airlines (JAL) and its affiliate carriers flew fewer passengers on domestic and international routes during the recent Obon holiday period from August 7 to August 16 this year. Read More » The airline group reported 1.1 million passengers on its domestic routes during the 10 days, down 3% from 1.2 million in the same holiday period last year. There were also 3% fewer flights operated. JAL noted about 470 flights were canceled mainly in the Okinawa area due to the typhoon. In terms of passenger preferences, the airline said the Hokkaido area in northern Japan was particularly strong, with passengers up 8.1% year-on-year. The oneworld alliance member’s international operations flew 211,955 passengers, down 9% from 230,743 in 2025. "A total of 22 flights were canceled mainly in East Asia due to the impact of the typhoon, but the boarding rate for the Obon period was 83.3%," JAL said. While the overall passenger numbers were down, JAL said there was positive news on Guam and Hawaii routes, which grew passenger load factor 1.5 percentage points for Obon.
