Long a popular getaway for Japanese seeking a winter wonderland experience, Sapporo has seen international route and passenger traffic growth making the northern Japanese city “Asia's Winter Capital.”
As Japan continues to see growth in inbound visitor arrivals, one particular city has become a go-to destination during the winter – Sapporo. Located in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, Sapporo is where travelers often start to explore the country's northern region. Home to some of Japan's best ski resorts and a world-famous annual Snow Festival called locally “Sapporo Yuki-Matsuri,” more travelers from beyond Japan are beginning to discover Sapporo and the rest of Hokkaido as a must-visit destination when visiting the country. Already serving busy domestic routes, Sapporo's main airport has seen a growth of its international network including cities further south of Japan in Southeast Asia. Long a popular getaway for Japanese seeking a winter wonderland experience, Sapporo's air routes – including its growing international network - now makes it “Asia's Winter Capital.”
New Routes to Discover Japan's Winter Wonderland
In the middle of January 2026, Air Canada made headlines revealing its plan to launch a new seasonal winter service from Vancouver to Sapporo's main airport – New Chitose International Airport. The seasonal Vancouver-Sapporo flights will be operated three-times weekly during the next Northern Winter Season from December 17 to March 25, 2027. It will add to Air Canada's current slate of routes to Japan which includes services to the Tokyo-area hubs - Narita and Haneda - and a seasonal summer service to Osaka-Kansai. No other airline currently offers direct flights to Sapporo besides Air Canada from the US or Canada. With the addition of Air Canada, the Montreal, Canada-based airline will boost the international network of flights from the northern Japanese city – both seasonally and year-round – to destinations beyond the current options to Southeast Asia and Australia.
During the Winter 2026 season, the international network from Sapporo New Chitose Airport includes flights to 15 cities in 9 countries and territories across Asia and Australia. This includes 4 points in South Korea (Seoul-Incheon, Chengju, Daegu, and Busan), 2 in Mainland China (Beijing-Capital, Shanghai-Pudong), and 2 in Taiwan (Taipei-Taoyuan and Kaoshiung). Major foreign airlines at Sapporo include South Korea's recently merged Korean Air-Asiana; Air China; China Eastern; Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific; Taiwan-based China Airlines, EVA Air, and STARLUX; Philippine-based Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific; Thailand-based THAI and Thai AirAsia X; Malaysia's AirAsia X; Singapore Airlines; and Australia's Qantas.
Note: Due to geopolitical tensions, flights between Mainland China and Japan are currently suspended as of the publishing of this article.
While most airlines from Taiwan, and Korea offer year-round flights to/from Sapporo, some – especially from Australia and Southeast Asia – operate on a seasonal basis during the winter season. These airlines include Philippine Airlines with its annual seasonal service from Manila, Singapore Airlines from Singapore, and AirAsia X from Kuala Lumpur. Qantas' seasonal service from Sydney operates during the summer season in the Southern Hemisphere. Much of the popular activities in Sapporo and Hokkaido – including the annual Winter Festival – takes place within the Northern Winter season (November-December), so these airlines offer convenient connections to the city.
As Air Canada's announcement and the recent growth of international routes to Sapporo brought attention to the city, there have been other foreign airlines that have come and gone. Hawaiian Airlines was the first from the US with seasonal flights in the past from Honolulu. Continental Airlines – and later United after the two merged – operated flights to the US territory of Guam in the Pacific. From Europe, Finnair launched flights to Sapporo from Helsinki in December 2019. That route has not been resumed after the pandemic.
The growth of international flights to/from Sapporo has been a boost to the tourism industry in Hokkaido, as the international passenger traffic to/from New Chitose Airport has more than doubled since 2014. Interest in Sapporo from outside Japan was growing prior to the pandemic, as its international passenger numbers peaked in 2019 with nearly 3.87 million compared to just 1.5 million in 2014. After the pandemic, international passenger traffic already recovered to 3.53 million in 2024 – 90% compared to 2019. It can be expected that international passenger traffic at Sapporo will reach record highs by 2030 if not already.
Sapporo: “Asia's Winter Capital”
Sapporo is Japan's fifth-largest city in terms of population, and also one of “snowiest cities” not just Japan but anywhere world. While you may experience snow in Tokyo or Osaka, Sapporo – and Hokkaido – is where Japanese prefer to enjoy a winter getaway or to escape the heat during the summer. Because of the regular and heavy snow during the winter, the seasonal activities, and culinary delights, Japanese and foreigners alike have increasingly made their way to Sapporo during the peak winter months. More travelers from around the world are discovering Sapporo, which we can call the city “Asia's Winter Capital.”
As budget airlines have opened new connections for those from Southeast Asia to visit Japan in recent years, Sapporo is a place where travelers from countries such as the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia come to “get the winter experience.” Being located closer to the equator, these countries typically experience year-round warm weather. While these travelers can enjoy winter sports and activities in other places in Japan and South Korea, the higher prospects of snow in Sapporo and Hokkaido during the winter months is an attraction of itself – especially for those who don't normally experience it from their warmer home countries.
During winter in Japan, it is the opposite in Australia. Japan – and Sapporo – has become an getaway option for Australians during their summer season. Recently, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) reported a new record of over 1 million Australians visited Japan during the calendar year 2025. Among the popular seasons for travel include the ski season during the Northern Winter. With Qantas' seasonal direct Sydney-Sapporo flights during the Northern winter, Australians are able to easily access Hokkaido's popular ski resorts.
Air Canada's recent announcement of direct seasonal flights from Vancouver to Sapporo next winter caught many by surprise. Vancouver – like Sapporo – are known winter sport destinations and both have hosted the Winter Olympics in the past. Though in recent years Canadians – and their counterparts from south of the border in the US – have complained about the rising cost of enjoying winter attractions in their own countries. Combined with the appeal of Japan, favorable exchange rates, and a great winter scene, Sapporo is now a new go-to destination for American and Canadian winter adventure seekers.
Beyond the ski resorts and winter activities, Sapporo also serves as a base to explore the rest of the northern island of Hokkaido – an island that offers untouched land and year-round attractions. Of the 35 Japanese National Parks, seven are located on Hokkaido. Other attractions on the island include Otaru – a historic port city – and the star-shaped Fort Goryokaku in Hakodate.
The Busy Haneda-Sapporo Route
Opened in 1988, Sapporo New Chitose International Airport is located 50 kilometers south from the center of Sapporo in the town of Chitose. Accessible through a 40 minute train ride, it is not the first airport to serve the city. Prior to the opening of New Chitose Airport, Okadama Airport located within the city served as the main air hub. Both have dual civilian and military use though the smaller Okadama serves limited flights within Hokkaido and Nagoya. New Chitose is the main air hub of Sapporo and Hokkaido, and is the 5th busiest airport in Japan serving nearly 24 million passengers in 2024.
While international passenger traffic has grown at New Chitose, the 3.5 million international passengers in 2024 represents a small 14% of the overall passenger traffic at the airport. The vast majority of travelers by air to/from Sapporo – over 20 million – flew on any of the multiple daily domestic flights from other Japanese cities such as Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka. These flights are mostly served by the big Japanese carriers All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan Airlines (JAL), and their budget subsidiaries Jetstar Japan (JAL) and Peach Aviation (Peach).
Among these domestic routes is the #2 busiest route globally between Tokyo Haneda and Sapporo. According to OAG, the seat capacity on the Haneda-Sapporo route in 2025 was 12.1 million. The route saw over 9.6 million passengers in 2024. The busy Haneda-Sapporo route has multiple daily flights offered by ANA and JAL using widebody aircraft such as Airbus A350, Boeing 787, and 777 aircraft. Overall, the Haneda-Sapporo route alone accounts for nearly one-third of the overall passenger traffic at New Chitose.
Following the Haneda-Sapporo route, the rest of the top routes to/from New Chitose are domestic routes to Tokyo-Narita, Osaka-Kansai, Nagoya-Chubu, Osaka-Itami, and Fukuoka.
The domestic passenger numbers include foreign visitors who did not enter Japan through Sapporo, as bigger air hubs such as Tokyo's dual hubs and Kansai have better international route networks. With more JAL and ANA flights at Haneda along with their airline alliance partners, customers can easily make connections onto the busy Haneda-Sapporo flights. Those who make their own arrangements to get to Sapporo after arriving in Japan have a good selection of routes to/from the city.
More International Direct Routes To Sapporo?
ANA and JAL have not launched any of their own direct international routes to/from Sapporo. With the already busy Haneda-Sapporo route, it would be best for the two big Japanese carriers to focus on its existing services and use their widebody jet fleets to expand their international networks to/from Tokyo. The flights to Sapporo from Haneda serve its Japanese customers, but also those from abroad connecting from a flight operated by them, or any of their alliance or partner carriers.
Some foreign airlines that previously operated flights to Sapporo now face different realities compared to when they served the city. Finnair may have interest to restart its Helsinki-Sapporo route, though airspace restrictions over Russia puts a damper on a potential comeback. Hawaiian Airlines' home state of Hawaii has seen a decline of visitors to Hawaii from Japan, which has contributed to the decision not to continue its seasonal Honolulu-Sapporo route. Hawaiian has also been acquired by Alaska Airlines, so the decision making is no longer primarily based in Hawaii.
Despite the setbacks faced by some airlines, there could be opportunities for new international air routes to Sapporo. While with its own alliance and codeshare partners in Japan, the Middle East Big 3 carriers – Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad – may have some good opportunities to explore for seasonal winter flights to Sapporo to cater to travelers from the Middle East and Europe. Alaska Airlines – which has been expanding its network in Asia using Hawaiian Airlines' 787s – could consider their own flights from Seattle. Note that these are just some route ideas, not based on current airline fleet and operational capabilities.
There could be other airlines from countries with direct flights to Sapporo, and others outside those I mentioned who could be exploring their own flights to Hokkaido. It can be argued that Sapporo is already well-served when it comes to year-round international flights to/from the city. The additional boost comes from the seasonal winter services from Southeast Asia, Australia, and Canada by the same time next year. Even outside the seasonal services, travelers have the choice to fly on a Japanese domestic flight to the capital of Hokkaido. Connecting options are also available via Seoul, Hong Kong, and Taipei.
Sapporo continues to be discovered as a go-to destination in Japan during the winter season. Regardless if its a direct international flight or via a connection, travelers from near and far somehow find a way to get to Sapporo. As passenger traffic continues to grow at New Chitose Airport – both international and domestic - the city in Northern Japan is no longer just Japan's winter getaway. Sapporo is now “Asia's Winter Capital.”
Powered by Froala Editor