Published on December 12, 2025
A massive air travel crisis hit Asia today, leaving thousands of passengers stranded across the continent. This unprecedented wave of cancellations and delays has severely impacted major aviation hubs. The crisis began with operational setbacks in Japan, specifically at airports in Tokyo and Sapporo. Soon after, similar chaos engulfed China, crippling services in Beijing and Shanghai. As a result, 149 flights were canceled and an astonishing 1,757 flights were delayed. Furthermore, the disruptions quickly spread to Southeast Asia. Airports in Thailand (Bangkok) and Indonesia (Jakarta) also struggled to manage their schedules. Finally, the problems reached Pakistan, affecting travelers flying through Karachi and Lahore. This data confirms an alarming lapse in operational stability across multiple national carriers, like Japan Airlines, Air China, Egypt Air, Bangkok Airways and others. Consequently, passengers now face immense uncertainty in this critical Asian travel season.

Major Airports Affected

The disruption was geographically widespread, affecting key international gateways across Asia. Operational statistics reveal that major hubs in both East and Southeast Asia experienced significant strain in managing their scheduled traffic.

• New Chitose (Japan): This airport recorded the highest number of cancellations globally in the dataset, with 49 flights grounded. An additional 287 flights were delayed, bringing the total number of affected flights at this key Japanese hub to 336. The strain on northern Japan’s air traffic was evident.
• Beijing Capital Int’l (China): The airport in the capital of China also saw a high cancellation rate of 49 flights, matching New Chitose’s total. Furthermore, 133 delays were recorded, amounting to 182 flights affected overall.
• Tokyo Int’l (Haneda Airport) (Japan): As a main gateway into Japan, Haneda experienced 27 cancellations and a substantial 419 delays. The volume of delayed flights was the highest recorded in the entire dataset, underscoring significant congestion at this major Asian air traffic center.
• Shanghai Pudong Int’l (China): This major Chinese hub registered 15 cancellations and 238 delays. The total affected flight count of 253 demonstrates the widespread nature of the disruption within China.
• Soekarno-Hatta Int’l (Indonesia): The primary airport serving Indonesia’s capital saw only 3 cancellations, but was affected by a high volume of delays, totaling 364 flights. This large number of delayed flights in Indonesia was second only to Tokyo-Haneda.
• Suvarnabhumi Airport (Thailand): This hub in Thailand reported 3 cancellations but was heavily affected by delays, with 272 flights impacted.
• Jinnah Int’l (Pakistan): Operations in Pakistan were also compromised, with this Karachi airport reporting 2 cancellations and 26 delays.
• Allama Iqbal Int’l (Pakistan): Lahore’s airport in Pakistan registered 1 cancellation and 18 delays, contributing to the overall disturbance across Asia.

Impacted Airlines

The operational crisis was managed by a diverse group of regional and international airlines. The data provided an exact breakdown of the disruptions, revealing which carriers were most heavily impacted.
In the Japanese market, Air Do recorded a combined 24 cancellations (12 at Haneda, 12 at New Chitose), complemented by 61 delays. Japan Airlines’ operations were also severely compromised, recording 17 cancellations (8 at Haneda, 9 at New Chitose) and 215 delays (157 at Haneda, 58 at New Chitose). All Nippon was responsible for 13 cancellations and 161 delays across the two Japanese airports. Other carriers affected in Japan included ANA Wings (18 cancellations, 34 delays), Jetstar Japan (3 cancellations, 10 delays) and Skymark (1 cancellation, 16 delays).

In China, Air China was overwhelmingly affected at Beijing Capital International, accounting for 42 of the 49 cancellations and 72 delays at that airport. At Shanghai Pudong, China Eastern recorded 7 cancellations and 60 delays, while Juneyao Airlines (3 cancellations, 18 delays) and Shanghai Airlines (2 cancellations, 32 delays) were also noted. Minor impacts were registered for Dalian Airlines (3 cancellations, 0 delays) and Egypt Air (1 cancellation, 0 delays) at Beijing and Urumqi Air (2 cancellations, 0 delays) and Hainan Airlines (1 cancellation, 4 delays) at Shanghai.
The impact in Southeast Asia was borne mainly by Bangkok Airways (2 cancellations, 23 delays) and Jetstar (1 cancellation, 1 delay) in Thailand, while in Indonesia, Batik Air (2 cancellations, 89 delays) and Garuda Indonesia (1 cancellation, 46 delays) accounted for the disruptions.

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Finally, in Pakistan, the national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines, registered 2 cancellations and 4 delays at Jinnah International and Airblue accounted for the single cancellation and 3 delays at Allama Iqbal International. This operational data confirms that the turbulence was shared among both major national flag carriers and regional budget airlines throughout Asia.

Impact on Local Travel

The large number of travel disruptions across Asia directly translates into significant on-the-ground complications for travelers in cities like Tokyo, Beijing, Bangkok and Jakarta. With over 1,900 flights being either cancelled or substantially delayed in Japan, China, Thailand, Indonesia and Pakistan, the initial arrival and departure processes for thousands of passengers were critically altered.
The volume of 419 delayed flights in Tokyo (Haneda) and 364 delayed flights in Jakarta (Soekarno-Hatta), Indonesia, suggests a considerable backlog in airport operations, including baggage handling, passport control and ground transport coordination. Similarly, the high rate of cancellations in both Japan (76 total) and China (64 total) resulted in the immediate stranding of thousands of travelers who required rebooking and accommodation assistance, placing a noticeable strain on airport infrastructure and local services at those points of entry into Asia. The operational data points to a major setback in smooth passenger flow across these critical Asian travel corridors.

What Affected Passengers Can Do Now

Passengers whose travel plans have been compromised by the operational setbacks across Asia are advised to primarily rely on direct communication channels established by their respective carriers. When a flight is cancelled, airlines such as Japan Airlines, All Nippon, Air China and China Eastern are obligated to offer rebooking onto the next available flight or provide a refund, as per industry regulations.
Passengers traveling with regional carriers like Batik Air in Indonesia or Airblue in Pakistan should utilize the airline’s official websites and dedicated hotlines to ascertain their new flight status before traveling to the airport. For extended delays, particularly the significant numbers seen in Japan and Indonesia, travelers are advised to retain all receipts for any unplanned expenses, as these may be necessary when filing for compensation or expense reimbursement from carriers like Garuda Indonesia or Bangkok Airways. Direct engagement with the operating airline remains the most effective course of action for managing the sudden and widespread disruptions that were recorded today across Asia.
-The information provided is sourced from FlightAware.

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Tags: air china, Asia Flight Disruption, Bangkok Airways, egypt air, japan airlines

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