Travellers Hit by Taiwan Flight Groundings Offered Free Rebooking or Refunds

Travellers flying to, from or through Taiwan faced widespread disruption on Friday, 23 October 2026, as Typhoon Champi approached the island. Taiwan's transport ministry said hundreds of flights had already been cancelled, and the storm is forecast to track towards eastern mainland China and Japan over the coming days.

Key facts

• 262 domestic flights and 715 international and cross-strait flights were cancelled as of 10am on Friday
• Taiwan Taoyuan, Taipei Songshan, Kaohsiung and Taichung airports were the worst affected
• 14 airports in eastern mainland China are expected to be hit in the coming days
• Japanese carriers cancelled more than 170 flights between Friday and Saturday
• Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines are offering free rebooking or full refunds on affected Taiwan routes

Which flights are cancelled in Taiwan?

Taiwan's transport ministry reported 262 local flights and 715 international and cross-strait flights cancelled as of 10am on Friday. Flight-tracking platform DAST said widespread cancellations were under way at the island's largest airports: Taiwan Taoyuan, Taipei Songshan, Kaohsiung and Taichung.

Japan Airlines said on Friday that it had cancelled flights to Taipei Songshan and Taiwan Taoyuan.

What is the typhoon's forecast path?

Champi peaked as a super typhoon and one of the year's strongest storms on Wednesday, then weakened to a severe typhoon on Thursday and has held that intensity since. China's National Meteorological Centre said winds near the centre reach up to 162km/h (101mph).

Between Friday night and Saturday morning the storm is expected to weaken as it approaches Taiwan's north-eastern coast, possibly brushing past the island. It is then forecast to move north along Zhejiang's eastern coast on Sunday, before turning north-east towards Japan.

What is happening in eastern China and Japan?

Fourteen airports across eastern mainland China are projected to be affected in the coming days, including nine in Zhejiang province and one in Fujian province. Named among them are Shanghai Pudong, Shanghai Hongqiao, Hangzhou Xiaoshan, Ningbo Lishe and Wenzhou Longwan.

The National Meteorological Centre has issued a blue typhoon warning, the lowest level in China's four-tier system. In Fujian, strong gales led to the suspension of 56 coastal ferry routes, 130 passenger ferries and 111 maritime construction projects as of Thursday, including four ferry services linking Fujian with the Taiwan-controlled islands of Quemoy, also called Kinmen, and Matsu.

In Japan, All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Peach Aviation, Skymark Airlines and Solaseed Air cancelled more than 170 flights between Friday and Saturday, affecting nearly 16,000 passengers. The storm is also disrupting the joint US-Japan "Keen Sword" military exercise, with the American military saying, "Training activities are being adjusted on a day-to-day basis".

What this means for travellers

Passengers booked on flights to or from the affected Taiwan airports should contact their airline directly. Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and other carriers have offered free rebooking or full refunds. Travellers should also expect knock-on disruption to ferry links between Fujian and Kinmen and Matsu, and to Japanese domestic and regional flights.

The forecast track takes Champi past Taiwan's north-eastern coast overnight into Saturday before it turns towards Zhejiang and Japan, so further schedule changes are possible.