FRANKFURT—Hokkaido Airports is preparing to welcome Air Canada and United Airlines as new partners for winter 2026-27, adding nonstop North American access while targeting stronger demand outside the ski season.
Air Canada’s Vancouver service to Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport (CTS) will establish the first nonstop connection between mainland North America and Hokkaido, while United will serve CTS from San Francisco. Both airlines will deploy Boeing 787s.
“This milestone significantly enhances Hokkaido’s international accessibility and reflects growing confidence in the region’s winter tourism market,” Minoru Onuma, Hokkaido Airports' managing director of aviation business development, said of Air Canada’s announcement.
The additions build on expansion by existing carriers. Qantas plans to increase Sydney-New Chitose service from 3X-weekly to up to 5X-weekly this winter, while Starlux Airlines launched Taichung-New Chitose flights in October.
Southeast Asia is a priority for further growth, supported by rising outbound travel and demand for Hokkaido’s winter tourism offer. “Southeast Asia has become one of our most strategically important markets for future route development, supported by strong economic growth and a rapidly growing outbound demand to Hokkaido,” Onuma told Routes.
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However, winter demand and busy daytime periods create capacity constraints. The operator is seeking to attract services into quieter periods through targeted incentives and market analysis, with Southeast Asian schedules offering opportunities to use available slots.
“On this basis, we are promoting off-peak operations through targeted incentive programs and detailed data-driven analysis,” Onuma said. “This approach enables airlines to optimize fleet utilization and aircraft rotations while expanding access to Hokkaido.”
The airport group is also promoting spring travel to Southeast Asian visitors as part of a broader effort to reduce international seasonality. Onuma said visitors from established markets such as South Korea and Taiwan are showing greater interest in summer attractions and regional destinations, often after first experiencing Hokkaido during the ski season.
Summer 2026 seat capacity was expected to increase 3% year over year, based on OAG data. Capacity from Hong Kong and Thailand was up 137% and 122%, respectively, offsetting weakness in the mainland Chinese market.
Domestic development is also broadening access across the group’s airports. Spring Japan launched Tokyo Narita-Hakodate service, which Onuma described as Hakodate’s only current low-cost route.
For winter 2026, All Nippon Airways plans to increase Osaka Itami-Hakodate frequencies, while Japan Airlines will introduce Itami services to Asahikawa, Obihiro and Memanbetsu.
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