Japanese airlines’ lucrative European routes could become a victim of simmering tensions between China and Japan because access to airspace is a potential lever for Beijing, aviation professionals have warned.

However, they said outright closure of Chinese airspace remained unlikely because it would snarl regional air traffic and embroil Chinese carriers.

Aviation observers in China have recently discussed the likelihood of Beijing restricting or forbidding Japanese carriers from overflying the country as a new retributory tactic in the wake of mass Japan-bound flight cancellations.

Bookings for flights to Japanese destinations have plunged since late last year after a major row erupted between Beijing and Tokyo following remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in November, when she said that Japan could respond militarily to a potential attack on Taiwan.

Widespread flight cancellations and official advisories against visiting Japan have been among Beijing’s retaliatory measures so far, with pilots warning that curtailment of access to Chinese airspace would mark a major escalation.

“If China weaponises airspace access, it will be more consequential than cancelling flights because the busy Japan-Europe air traffic and cargo will take a hit, with some routes facing suspension,” said a European pilot with a leading budget carrier in Shanghai.

“This is a card in Beijing’s hand and a vulnerability for Japan as the latter’s airlines will be squeezed.”