Japanese local governments ask LCCs not to cancel flights

Several Japanese local governments have asked Korean low-cost carriers (LLCs) to retain flight routes to Japan amid a rising boycott of travel to the neighboring country, industry sources said Tuesday.

High-level delegations from Japanese cities and prefectures recently visited Korean budget carriers to make the request.

The visits come as a bilateral trade feud has led to a drop in the number of Korean tourists to Japan, which is feared to hit the economies of those Japanese regions.

According to data from the Seoul government, the number of Korean travelers to Japan shrank 13 percent on-year to slightly over 467,000 during the July 16-30 period.

Korean budget carriers have already cut some flights on their Japanese routes.

Yonhap