Japan's airlines cancel flights as blizzards hit northwest coast

Strong winds and heavy snowfall forced the cancellation of dozens of airline flights headed to and from Japan's northwestern coast, the country's largest airlines said on Tuesday, including popular skiing regions.

As of 1 p.m. local time (0400 GMT) ANA Holdings had cancelled 56 flights, affecting around 3,900 passengers, while as of 11 a.m. (0200 GMT), Japan Airlines had cancelled 37 flights, affecting 2,213 passengers.

ANA said that it had not planned any flight cancellations for Wednesday but there would be delays at some airports due to continued adverse weather conditions.

New Chitose Airport near Sapporo in Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido was the worst hit, making up 49 of ANA's 56 cancelled flights.

The airport is the gateway to ski resorts such as Niseko, which has surged in popularity among international visitors looking to take advantage of some of the best powder skiing conditions in the world and capitalising on the weak yen.

The Japan Meteorological Agency warned on Monday that between January 21 and 25 heavy snow would hit the north and west of the country along the Sea of Japan and advised against non-essential journeys. 

Reuters