Travelers across Asia just hit a massive roadblock. This report details the serious flight disruptions that hammered major aviation hubs in both China and Japan today. Specifically, the region tallied a staggering 57 flight cancellations and over 500 significant delays. Beijing and Tokyo, the continent’s key gateway cities, bore the worst of the impact. The operational chaos originated from four primary international airports, disrupting schedules for dozens of airlines. Air China and Air Do, among others, drove the bulk of the cancellations. Now, thousands of passengers face stranded situations and ruined travel plans. This detailed summary breaks down exactly where and how this unprecedented operational crisis unfolded across China and Japan. We examine the impacted airports and the airlines responsible for the grounded flights.

The operational constraints were distributed across four major international airports, two in China and two in Japan.

In China, key airports experienced significant operational fallout. Beijing Capital International Airport, a primary hub for northern China, was subjected to the most severe disruption, where 26 cancellations and 202 delays were recorded. This high volume of incidents underscores the strain placed upon the facility’s capacity and the complexity of managing recovery logistics.

A similar, though less intense, situation was seen at Beijing Daxing International Airport. This facility recorded three total cancellations and 162 delays. While the number of outright cancelled flights was markedly lower than at its counterpart, the extensive volume of delays indicates a widespread slowdown of scheduled operations.

Meanwhile, the aviation infrastructure in Japan was similarly affected. New Chitose Airport reported 12 total cancellations and 70 delays, a considerable proportion for a key regional gateway. The capital’s gateway, Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport), also bore the brunt of the operational issues, with 16 cancellations and 150 delays being logged. The incidents at Tokyo Int’l highlight that both domestic and international traffic flows into the nation’s capital were severely compromised. Across these four gateways, the total number of travelers being affected by these 57 cancellations and 584 delays is considered substantial.

The disruptions were primarily driven by a select group of major airlines, with several smaller carriers also being subjected to extensive delays. Air China was identified as the most heavily affected carrier within China, reporting 26 cancellations and 142 delays at Beijing Capital Int’l and a further two cancellations and 12 delays at Beijing Daxing Int’l. This indicates that a vast majority of the cancellations recorded at the primary Beijing airport were attributed to this one airline. China Southern Airlines was also impacted, being responsible for one cancellation and 31 delays at Beijing Daxing International Airport.

In Japan, Air Do was associated with 12 cancellations and 15 delays at New Chitose and an additional 12 cancellations and 22 delays at Tokyo Int’l. This airline accounted for all the cancellations at New Chitose. Japan Airlines’ operations were also compromised, experiencing two cancellations and 39 delays at Tokyo Int’l, alongside a single cancellation by Skymark which was paired with two delays. Notably, one international carrier, American Airlines, was cited for one cancellation at Tokyo Int’l, although no delays were recorded for its services.

Beyond these carriers, numerous other airlines experienced delays. These included Hainan Airlines, Dalian Airlines, China Eastern, Singapore Airlines, SF Airlines, China United Airlines, XiamenAir, Hebei Airlines, AirAsia, ANA Wings, All Nippon, Peach Aviation, Thai Airways, United Airlines, Philippine Air Lines, Delta Air Lines and Shanghai Airlines, among others. The sheer number of airlines involved underscores that the operational instability was not restricted to a single operator but was a systemic issue affecting the flow of air traffic across Asia.

While the exact consequences cannot be quantified without external data, the concentration of 57 cancellations and 584 delays at the primary entry points of China and Japan strongly suggests that the local tourism sectors in the affected cities are experiencing immediate negative repercussions. Travel itineraries are being directly compromised, as thousands of visitors expected to arrive in Beijing and Tokyo are currently being held up. The delay of 584 flights alone means accommodation bookings, tour schedules and ground transportation arrangements across these destinations are being missed, generating a complicated cascade effect for local businesses reliant on tourism revenue. The large-scale interruption to scheduled services has resulted in a loss of passenger confidence and logistical certainty for future travel plans in the region. The operational challenges faced by both domestic and international carriers, including Singapore Airlines and American Airlines, indicate that travelers arriving from abroad are being significantly delayed before they can begin their visits to the countries.

Passengers whose travel plans have been compromised by a flight cancellation or delay should prioritize direct consultation with the operating airline. Since Air China, Air Do and Japan Airlines are responsible for the vast majority of the 57 cancellations, their respective service desks or digital channels should be approached first to determine re-booking options. Details regarding the two cancelled flights by China Southern Airlines and American Airlines should also be pursued directly with those carriers. Affected passengers are advised to maintain records of their original bookings and any correspondence received from the airline. Given the volume of 584 delays, patience is required, as operational teams are currently managing a high backlog of disrupted services. New travel arrangements should be confirmed in writing before any alternative journey segments are attempted.

-The information provided is sourced from FlightAware.