TPE: Typhoon Champi Grounds Nearly 1,000 Taiwan Flights

TAIPEI, Taiwan — October 23, 2026 — Typhoon Champi has grounded close to 1,000 flights in Taiwan, with Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport taking the biggest hit. Cancellations covered October 22 and 23, and EVA Air, Starlux, China Airlines and Tigerair Taiwan have already cut or warned about Saturday, October 24 flights too.

What happened

Nearly 1,000 flights cancelled: Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration counted 977 cancelled flights from October 22 through 10 a.m. on October 23: 262 domestic and 715 international and cross-strait, the Taipei Times reports. Reuters, citing the transport ministry, put Friday’s total at all 262 domestic flights and 717 international flights.
Taoyuan (TPE): Taoyuan International Airport Corp said 596 flights were cancelled between midnight and 9 a.m. on October 23, of which 521 were passenger flights and 75 were cargo. Departures and arrivals may also be moved earlier or delayed. Wego reports it has seen no official notice closing the airport.
The storm: Reuters says Champi, at one point a super typhoon, still had gusts of about 191 km/h and sat about 220 km east of Taiwan. It is forecast to pass just off northeastern Taiwan, first over Japan’s Yonaguni island, then turn north toward the Chinese coast and southern Japan. A forecaster said landfall could still happen if the storm “stalls, loops, or wobbles from side to side.” Experts said the effects could last nearly two days.
Wider disruption: One person was killed and 171 were injured in Taiwan. Financial markets closed on Friday, and Taipei public transport ran a reduced service. High-speed rail was running normally.
When flights return: No airline or airport has published a full resumption time (TBA).

Airline status

Airline	Friday, October 23	Saturday, October 24
EVA Air	All long-haul Taiwan–Europe and Taiwan–US flights later in the day cancelled, plus some Taoyuan and Taipei Songshan flights	Some Taoyuan and Songshan flights through noon cancelled
Starlux	Operating only long-haul flights to Europe, the US and other destinations	JX761 Taoyuan–Jakarta, JX890 (Shimojishima) and JX870 (Naha) cancelled; all Taichung flights cancelled; two extra Tokyo–Taiwan flights added
China Airlines	Taiwan flights from the morning of October 23 may be cancelled, delayed or moved earlier	Flights at all Taiwan airports through noon may be moved up, cancelled or delayed
Tigerair Taiwan	TBA	Many Taiwan–Japan flights cancelled (Okinawa, Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo, Fukuoka) plus Taiwan–Jeju
Uni Air	TBA	Songshan and Taichung flights before 4 p.m. and Chiayi, Tainan and Kaohsiung flights before 1 p.m. cancelled; all Matsu flights cancelled
Mandarin Airlines	TBA	Some Songshan, Taichung and Kaohsiung routes cancelled, including Kaohsiung–Kinmen, Kaohsiung–Penghu and Kaohsiung–Hualien
Singapore Airlines	All four Singapore–Taipei flights (SQ876–SQ879) cancelled	TBA
Thai Airways	All six Bangkok–Taipei and Bangkok–Kaohsiung flights cancelled	TBA
Emirates	EK366 and EK367 (Dubai–Taipei) cancelled for weather	TBA

China Airlines is waiving change and refund fees, allowing one free change within 14 days, and refunding paid seats and extra baggage. Wego notes that free and reduced-fare tickets coded DM, ID and AD are not covered by that waiver. Singapore Airlines is offering rebooking or a full refund of the unused portion.

What it means for travelers

Expect a heavy backlog through the weekend. Close to 1,000 cancelled flights means thousands of displaced passengers will be rebooked onto the first flights back, so seats in and out of Taoyuan will be scarce on October 24 and likely beyond.
Long-haul is the exception, not the rule. Starlux kept its long-haul flights running on Friday, but EVA cancelled its later Europe and US departures. Check each flight’s status before you list, and expect any surviving long-haul flights to fill up.
ID and AD tickets are outside the China Airlines waiver. Don’t count on the passenger waiver to protect a discounted staff ticket; check your own airline’s pass rules for typhoon disruptions.
Watch for times moving earlier. Taoyuan and China Airlines both say flights may be moved earlier, not just delayed, so check the departure time again on the day.
Japan and regional routes are hit too. Tigerair Taiwan and Starlux cut Okinawa and other Japan flights on Saturday, so routing via Japan is not an easy workaround.
Carry on. With a two-day disruption and mass rebooking, checked bags risk getting separated from you if you roll to later flights.