There aren’t any signs that the release of treated wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant will dissuade Chinese tourists from visiting Japan, despite a backlash in Asia’s biggest economy, the CEO of Japan’s largest airline said. Although he’s keeping a close eye on travelers’ movements, Koji Shibata of ANA Holdings Inc. said in an interview that “there is no significant impact” thus far. The number of inbound visitors from China was about 300,000 in July, he said, compared with 30,000 in January. China lifted a ban on group tours last month, fueling predictions of a boost in retail sales in the island nation. Before the pandemic, Chinese tourists were big spenders at Japan’s drugstores, electronics retailers and high-end department stores — which received them by the busload. “We believe this steady and consistent increase to continue in the future,” Shibata said at the company’s airline training facility near Haneda Airport. For now, the release of wastewater from the Fukushima plant, which was damaged by a tsunami triggered by the 2011 earthquake in Japan, appears to have had a minor impact in travel bookings from China. There’s a 7% decline in November 2023-March 2024 seat filings as of Aug. 29 compared with Aug. 18, according to data from Cirium. ANA used to fly 175 roundtrip flights per week between Japan and China before the pandemic, and currently plans to fly 76 such flights weekly during the winter season, or 43% of prior capacity. Shibata said ANA will “increase the number of flights to respond to a further rise in demand.” Japan has also become an important transit point for travelers from Southeast Asia and China seeking to reach North America because of the limited number of direct flights between the US and China, according to Shibata. That’s a change from when Japan was mainly an inbound destination and source of outbound travelers. “Because there is demand on the US and China routes, we are responding to that,” Shibata said.<br/>
star
A group of businesses has put forward a plan that would see liquid hydrogen-fuelled aircraft flying New Zealand's domestic routes. The New Zealand Hydrogen Aviation Consortium said the shift to hydrogen power would remove up to 900,000 tonnes of carbon emissions every year by 2050. The consortium members were Airbus, Air New Zealand, Christchurch Airport, Fortescue, Hiringa Energy and Fabrum. They have released a report, Launching Green Hydrogen Powered Aviation in Aotearoa New Zealand, examining the hydrogen supply chain, measuring how much would be needed and developing a blueprint to transition to a green hydrogen aviation system. It also had recommendations for regulations and incentives needed to make the shift. The consortium wanted cross-party support and for the government to get behind the scheme. Airbus was developing the world's first hydrogen aircraft for commercial use. Spokesperson Karine Guenan said New Zealand was uniquely positioned to lead the testing and deployment of low-carbon aircraft. "The country's large potential renewable electricity and water resources are key advantages, while the size of aircraft used here and the length of routes flown match the capabilities of hydrogen-powered aircraft. "This report lays out the ecosystem required to make that happen. It is a first step and Airbus is committed to leveraging our expertise to work with government, iwi, industries and other stakeholders to bring it to life." Christchurch-based company Fabrum was already working on hydrogen aviation projects overseas. Chairperson and co-founder Christopher Boyle said green hydrogen was an important part of the future of clean flight. The report said that for hydrogen aviation to take off, New Zealand would need to generate more renewable energy to support green hydrogen production and develop infrastructure to move the energy where it was needed. It said policies and regulations would be needed to support the work.<br/>