Taiwan authorities closed schools and offices across nearly the entire island on October 23, 2026, as Typhoon Champi approached and the Civil Aviation Administration counted 977 canceled flights from Thursday through 10 a.m. Friday. Taiwan-controlled Kinmen was the exception. Its schools and offices remained open.
The shutdown covered 21 of Taiwan’s 22 administrative divisions. Local authorities call the mandatory closure of business and academic schedules a “typhoon holiday.”
Flight totals vary with the reporting period. The administration’s 977 cancellations included 262 domestic flights and 715 international and cross-strait services; a separate ministry tally for Friday listed 262 domestic and 717 international cancellations.
Passengers also faced airline-specific changes and suspended ferry links. Taoyuan International Airport Corp. warned that flights could depart earlier or be delayed, and urged passengers to check their status.
Airlines set out separate options for affected passengers
Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and other major mainland carriers offered free rebooking or full refunds to passengers traveling to and from affected Taiwan airports. The offers were carrier-specific, not a blanket policy covering every airline or ticket.
EVA Air canceled all its long-haul flights between Taiwan and Europe or the United States scheduled for later Friday. It also canceled some services to and from Taoyuan and Songshan airports.
Starlux Airlines said it would operate only long-haul flights to Europe, the United States and other destinations that day. The announced options differ by airline. The reported offers do not establish a general refund entitlement for all passengers affected by the shutdown.
Check your flight and ferry before traveling
Taoyuan International Airport Corp. said arrival and departure times could shift. Ferry operators also suspended sailings on multiple routes.
- Check your flight status before leaving for the airport; departures may move earlier or be delayed.
- Contact the airline handling your booking to confirm the options it has announced.
- Check whether your ferry route is operating before traveling to a port.
The cancellation totals cover different time windows
The figures describe distinct periods and categories, so they do not form one directly comparable count. The administration’s tally runs from Thursday through 10 a.m. Friday. The transport ministry’s figure covers Friday, while the airport operator reported a count for Taoyuan from midnight to 9 a.m.
| Reporting body and period | Cancellations reported |
|---|---|
| Civil Aviation Administration, Thursday through 10 a.m. Friday | 977 total: 262 domestic and 715 international and cross-strait |
| Transport ministry, Friday | 262 domestic and 717 international |
| Taoyuan International Airport Corp., midnight to 9 a.m. Friday | 596 total: 521 passenger flights and 75 cargo flights |
The reported ministry and administration figures differ by two international flights, and the material gives no reconciliation for that difference. More than 150 domestic and international flights had also been canceled Thursday ahead of the storm.
Taiwan Taoyuan, Taipei Songshan, Kaohsiung and Taichung, the island’s four largest airports, faced widespread cancellations. Taoyuan’s 596-flight figure includes cargo services, unlike the overall passenger-flight breakdowns.
Ferry links and storm warnings added to the disruption
The Maritime and Port Bureau said 96 sailings were affected across 10 disrupted ferry routes. Nine routes stopped all sailings: Keelung-Matsu; Nangan’s Fuao Port-Fuzhou’s Langqi Port; Beigan’s Baisha Port-Fuzhou’s Huangqi Port; Kinmen-Shijing; Kaohsiung-Magong; Donggang-Xiaoliuqiu; Yanpu-Xiaoliuqiu; Fugang-Green Island; and Fugang-Lanyu.
Kinmen-Wutong service was reduced rather than fully suspended. Ten sailings operated Friday, while 14 were canceled.
Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration said Champi’s wind field spanned about 320 km (200 miles), broad enough to cover most of Taiwan. Gusts near the storm’s center reached around 191 kph (119 mph), and its center was about 220 km (137 miles) east of the island.
The storm was forecast to bring up to 900 millimetres (35 inches) of rain to mountainous areas in northern and northeastern Taiwan from Thursday to Saturday. Forecasters also warned of waves higher than six metres (20 foot). Rainfall was expected to peak Saturday morning and continue into the evening, with nearly a metre forecast for northern mountain areas, including around Taipei.
Central Weather Administration forecaster Liu Pei-teng said a change in the storm’s movement could extend the period of strong winds.
“If the storm slows down, the strong winds will affect Taiwan for longer.”
Later government figures listed one person killed and 171 injured in Taiwan. Authorities said 2,639 people had been evacuated from mountainous areas. Taipower reported that more than 77,000 homes lost electricity, though power had been restored to most. More than 23,000 military personnel were on standby for rescue work.
Taipei’s subway continued running with reduced service, while high-speed rail on the western coast operated normally. The storm’s center was forecast to pass off Taiwan’s northeastern tip and then turn north.
The forecast track also put China and Japan in the path
Fourteen airports in eastern mainland China were projected to face effects in the coming days, including nine in Zhejiang province and one in Fujian. The airports named included Shanghai Pudong, Shanghai Hongqiao, Hangzhou Xiaoshan, Ningbo Lishe and Wenzhou Longwan. Mainland airlines offered rebooking or refunds for affected trips to and from Taiwan airports.
Japan’s two major airlines canceled more than 110 flights from Thursday to Saturday. Flights serving the southwestern islands, including Miyako, Ishigaki and Okinawa, were also canceled. The forecast called for the storm to move north toward Japan’s southwestern islands after passing Taiwan.
