Hong Kong Airlines Cancels Summer Flights To Kagoshima & Kumamoto Over Earthquake Rumors

There is a very bizarre situation going on with Hong Kong Airlines at the moment, as the airline has cancelled all their flights to the Japanese cities of Kagoshima & Kumamoto in July and August over rumors that there will be a major earthquake this […]

Jun 14, 2025 - 18:45

There is a very bizarre situation going on with Hong Kong Airlines at the moment, as the airline has cancelled all their flights to the Japanese cities of Kagoshima & Kumamoto in July and August over rumors that there will be a major earthquake this summer.

These rumors stem from a psychic/fortune teller’s prediction published in 1999 that accurately “predicted” major catastrophes, including the disastrous Tohoku earthquake in 2011 – the next prediction is for July 2025.

While it might sound abstract to most of us westerners, many people in Asia are extremely superstitious, and those of you who have traveled in the region might have seen the many fortune tellers and psychics who are actually considered to hold a very respectable profession.

So in other words, people believe in this stuff, and in the case of Baba Vanga the prediction for this years natural disaster in Japan next month has caused mass cancellations of trips by travelers.

Hong Kong Airlines has now reacted, pulling all flights to Kagoshima and Kumamoto from their schedule for July and August.

Hong Kong Airlines has decided to cancel its flights to southern Japan in July and August amid an unfounded rumor that a major earthquake and tsunami will hit the country this summer.
In Hong Kong, the rumor has caused a decrease in travel demand to Japan and led to reduced flights since May between Hong Kong and various destinations in Japan.
Hong Kong Airlines decided to cancel all its flights to the southern Japanese prefectures of Kagoshima and Kumamoto in July and August.
The airline resumed the Kagoshima route in the spring of last year for the first time in four years. In December, it increased the number of weekly round trips from three to four due to strong demand for travel to Japan.
Sources say seat occupancy on the flights declined from this spring, when the quake rumor began to spread.
The Kagoshima Prefectural Office in Hong Kong said it will call on the airline and others to resume the flights as soon as possible.
The Japan National Tourism Organization said the rumor has no scientific basis and urged people to make travel plans based on scientific information provided by official organizations.

Hong Kong Airlines has publicly cited “weak demand” as the reason for the cancellation of flights.

I have checked the schedule, and flights are indeed no longer available.

Of course, there is no scientific information as to whether an earthquake will hit a month, a year, or a decade from now, but these supernatural powers and phenomena, if you want to call it that, have been around for centuries, reaching as far back as The Oracle of Delphi where the Pythia made cryptic pronouncements and offered guidance.

CNN Travel had an interesting piece on this as well:

A Japanese comic book warns of a “real catastrophe.” A psychic predicts mass destruction. A feng shui master urges people to stay away.
This might sound like the plot of a disaster movie but for Japan’s tourism industry, a recent spate of so-called earthquake-related “predictions” like these has led to more superstitious travelers, particularly in East Asia, canceling or delaying their holidays. …
Published by manga artist Ryo Tatsuki in 1999, “The Future I Saw” warned of a major disaster in March 2011, a date which turned out to coincide with the cataclysmic quake that struck Japan’s northern Tohoku region that month.
Her “complete version” released in 2021 claimed that the next big earthquake will hit this July. …
At the same time, psychics from Japan and Hong Kong have shared similar warnings, triggering some unfounded panic online that has led to a flurry of cancelations of travel plans from destinations in the region.
CN Yuen, managing director of WWPKG, a travel agency based in Hong Kong, said bookings to Japan dropped by half during the Easter holiday and are expected to dip further in the coming two months.
The speculations have scared off mostly travelers from mainland China and Hong Kong, which are Japan’s second- and fourth-largest sources of tourists, respectively. But the fear has also spread to other markets such as Thailand and Vietnam, where social media platforms are overflowing with posts and videos warning people to think twice before traveling to Japan. …

What should we think of this? This comes down to personal beliefs and comfort. Some people think The Simpsons accurately predict the future or base their decisions on what their grandma told them 40 years ago.

I don’t want to knock these things. Sometimes in life, you just put your chips on whatever bet you feel most comfortable with, even if there is no rational logic behind it.

Conclusion

Hong Kong Airlines has cancelled two routes to Japan, citing decimated passenger demand, following a popular psychic’s prediction of a natural disaster in Japan in July or August of this year.

Travelers from Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, China, and other countries have largely pulled away from travel to southern Japan this summer, and apparently, this Baba Vanga prediction is to blame.

While one might think this is a little obscure thing that nobody ever heard of, don’t be mistaken. It’s big news here in Asia, and there are quite a few people who believe in the accuracy of this prediction.

The impact this had on tourism in the affected region is quite amazing. Hotel rates might be rather low this summer, which is of course, sad for the local hospitality industry. Hopefully, the Oracle won’t be accurate.

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