Typhoon Champi forced the cancellation of 931 flights in Taiwan on Friday as strong winds, torrential rain and dangerous seas disrupted air travel across the island. The cancelled services comprised all 262 scheduled domestic flights and 669 international flights, affecting airlines including China Airlines, Tigerair Taiwan, Uni Air, Mandarin Airlines and Thai Airways. The storm was weakening but continued to threaten operations near Taiwan’s northeastern coast.
Thai Airways separately cancelled six Bangkok–Taipei and Bangkok–Kaohsiung services scheduled for 23 October. Other affected routes included international flights to Okinawa and domestic links serving Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu.
Taiwan’s schools, offices and financial markets closed across much of the island as Champi approached. The Central Weather Administration forecast up to 900 millimetres of rain in mountainous areas of northern and northeastern Taiwan from Thursday through Saturday, with waves exceeding six metres. A direct landfall was not expected in the latest forecast, although the storm’s proximity was sufficient to trigger widespread precautionary cancellations.
North–south high-speed rail services continued operating, while public transport in Taipei remained available with reduced service. Earlier updates had put the number of cancelled flights at more than 600, before the total rose as additional international cancellations were recorded.