U.S. airlines on Friday canceled services to and from Japan, having earlier diverted flights in the wake of the 8.9 magnitude earthquake that hit the northeast of the country.
The quake closed Narita, Tokyo’s main international gateway and home to hubs operated by Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL) and a unit of United Continental Holdings Inc. (UAL), as well as the city’s downtown Haneda airport.
Haneda has since partially reopened, according to All Nippon Airways Co. (ALNPY, 9202.TO), while officials continue to check for damage to runways at both airports.
Delta, the largest operator of U.S.-Japan flights, said services had been diverted to other airports pending runway reopenings in the capital.
United Continental said it had canceled 11 Tokyo-bound services Friday, having diverted nine overnight flights headed from the U.S., but still planned to keep normal flying to Hawaii and Guam
American Airlines said all its eastbound flights from Tokyo left before the quake hit, while six aircraft heading for the city were diverted to airports in Osaka, Sapporo and Anchorage.
Trans-Pacific services have been a bright spot for U.S. airlines facing a burst of new capacity and intensifying competition on services to and from Europe. United Continental, the U.S. market leader to Asia, this week said traffic on Pacific services in January and February was up 6.7% on a year ago.
Airline stocks were set to open higher Friday, buoyed by a fall in oil prices. United Continental was 1.6% at $24.95 in pre-open trade, Delta was 1.2% higher at $11.18 and American parent AMR Corp. (AMR) gained 1.8% at $6.53.