He said the airlines will redirect Japanese flights to serve domestic markets to relieve excess capacity in the short term.

Meanwhile, global airlines also have adjusted flights to Japan as demand plummets. Delta Air Lines announced it is suspending the launch of two new routes to Tokyo's Haneda Airport. It had planned to launch a Los Angeles-Tokyo route and a Detroit-Tokyo route this week.

Singapore Airlines said it will suspend two of its four daily flights between Changi Airport and Haneda Airport beginning on Sunday.

The carrier also postponed the introduction of Airbus A380 services on flights between Singapore and Los Angeles via Tokyo's Narita Airport. The flights will continue to be operated with smaller Boeing 747-400 aircraft.

Jetstar, the budget unit of Qantas Airways Ltd, said it will redirect half of its 14 weekly Tokyo-bound flights to Osaka after a fall in demand.

Cathay Pacific Airways and Korean Air Lines have also ended temporary capacity increases on Tokyo routes.

It's not only the passenger segment that is hurting.

Air cargo volumes between China and Japan will also be affected by closures or curtailed production at Japanese chip and auto factories. The earthquake, tsunami and radiation threat have crippled transport systems and disrupted the supply chain.

Japan is China's third-largest trading partner. Last year, China exported US$121 billion of goods to Japan and imported US$176.71 billion. About 48 percent of exports China shipped to Japan were electrical and audio-visual equipment and 9.5 percent were auto and aviation facilities.

"The impact on domestic air cargo companies is not as great as their Japanese peers because most goods shipped from Japan to China were carried by All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines," said Liu Haiming, an aviation analyst.