Japan’s Regional Air Routes Threatened by Soaring Fuel Costs Amid Mideast Crisis

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:28 JST, April 4, 2026

An aviation industry group has warned that Japan’s regional flight network is at risk, as soaring fuel prices threaten the financial stability of the sector.

The Scheduled Airlines Association of Japan, chaired by Mitsuko Tottori, president of Japan Airlines Co., issued an emergency statement Friday highlighting that the unprecedented spike in costs could make it impossible to sustain regional routes.

The statement noted that if high fuel prices persist, the industry will face an additional financial burden of several hundred billion yen per year. Such a massive increase in costs would jeopardize the stability of Japan’s aviation network, particularly its regional flights.

According to the statement, aviation fuel prices have surged 150% in just one month, driven by the worsening crisis in the Middle East. This spike has significantly outpaced the 80% increase in crude oil prices, with the association citing global panic buying as a primary cause for the tightening supply.

The fuel surcharges that All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines add to international airfares based on aviation fuel prices have reached the maximum amount that can be passed on under the current system.

“[The current situation] is far beyond the upper limit and the pace of fluctuation anticipated under the conventional scheme,” the statement said.

The association emphasized that passing on costs is even more difficult for domestic flights, where such surcharges are uncommon. This leaves their financial balance in an even more critical state.