China Southern resumes daily Shenzhen–Osaka flights ahead of Expo

Overview

China Southern Airlines resumed its route between Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport on March 30, 2025, the first day of the summer-autumn flight season. According to Shenzhen Daily, as carried by Newsgd.com, the route is operated daily with an Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft.

Flight	Route	Departure	Arrival
CZ8425	Shenzhen to Osaka (Kansai)	9:30 a.m. Beijing time	2:15 p.m. Japan time
CZ8426	Osaka (Kansai) to Shenzhen	3:30 p.m. Japan time	6:45 p.m. Beijing time

Hainan Airlines also operates a daily service on the same route (HU713/714), giving travelers a choice of morning and evening departures.

Background

Air links between Shenzhen and Japan shrank during the COVID-19 pandemic and have been recovering step by step. On February 11, 2025, China Southern resumed its Shenzhen–Tokyo Narita route with three weekly flights. Shenzhen Airlines operates two daily flights to Narita, and All Nippon Airways (ANA) operates one daily flight to Haneda.

Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai runs from April 13 to October 13, and Osaka expects 28 million visitors during the event. At the Japan-China High-Level Economic Dialogue in Tokyo on March 22, the two governments also agreed to expand people-to-people exchanges, including tourism, using the Expo as an opportunity, raising expectations for more travel between the two countries.

Key Points

• Daily service: One round trip a day with an A330, serving both business and leisure demand.
• Larger international network: In the summer-autumn season, China Southern's weekly international flights from Shenzhen rise from 76 to 105, including three weekly flights to Mexico City, 11 to Bangkok and 11 to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
• Domestic connections: Shenzhen has 13 daily flights to Beijing, 12 to Shanghai and eight to Hangzhou, among others, allowing passengers to connect between Osaka and other Chinese cities via Shenzhen.
• More Japan options: Following the Narita restart, the Osaka route means China Southern's Shenzhen–Japan services now cover both the Tokyo and Kansai regions.

What It Means for Japan–Shenzhen Exchange

More direct flights between Shenzhen and Kansai are likely to make business trips, negotiations and trade fair visits easier and to support growth in tourist travel. Kansai is home to many manufacturers of electronic components, machinery and materials, and better connections could also benefit trade and technical exchange with Shenzhen's hardware industry.

During the Expo, companies and organizations from across China, including Shenzhen, are also expected to hold exhibitions and exchange events, and attention is turning to how improved air links can support such exchange.

Kansai International Airport also offers easy access to Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe, making it a convenient gateway for travelers from Shenzhen who want to combine sightseeing with business meetings. From the Japanese side, Shenzhen is a hub of hardware and electronics industries with strong demand for study tours and business visits, and more flight options may lower the barrier for visits by small and medium-sized companies and research institutions. A daily schedule also makes short trips easier to plan, which can support travel for trade fairs, technical exchange and youth exchange. As the route network recovers, travel between Shenzhen and Japan is expected to become more convenient and frequent, laying a foundation for exchange in business, culture and other fields.

The restart also came just before the spring travel season and the opening of the Expo. For travel agencies, hotels and event services, the added capacity between Shenzhen and Kansai may create new business opportunities, and cooperation between related companies in the two regions is anticipated.

Outlook

Demand after the Expo closes and the airline's plans for the winter-spring season onward were not clear from the reports. The pace of recovery in travel between Japan and China is likely to shape future route decisions.

From the Association

The Association will continue to follow transport links and travel between Shenzhen and Japan and share information with our members. We will keep working to turn easier travel into more opportunities for exchange.