100 plus Domestic flights cancelled in Japan due to heavy snow

TOKYO – Heavy snow in the northern and western parts of Japan has led to the cancellation of more than 100 domestic flights on Sunday, said the two biggest airlines functioning in the nation.  

Around 79 flights have been stopped by ANA Holdings as of 4 pm (0700 GMT), which has affected about 5,100 passengers, said Yutaka Kitahara, operations director of the company.  

Kitahara said, “As the weather situation in northeastern Japan remains unstable, there could be more cancellations to come.”  

Around 49 flights have been cancelled by Japan Airlines as of 4 pm (0700 GMT), which has affected about 2,460 passengers, a representative with the airline’s operations division said.

Worldwide, thousands of flights have been cancelled over the Christmas weekend because of the rapid spread of the new Omicron coronavirus variant.