China launches surprise live-fire drills around Taiwan disrupting flights
December 30, 2025
Hundreds of international and dozens of domestic flights are expected to be impacted by the snap Chinese military exercises around Taiwan. This is not the first time Taiwanese flights have been affected by Chinese drills and by typhoons in 2025.
Chinese live-fire drills around Taiwan impact flights
China is once again holding large-scale military exercises (codenamed “Justice Mission 2025”) around the island of Taiwan. These are having a significant impact on the island’s commercial aviation.
According to today’s reporting by the English-language Taipei Times, over 100,000 international and domestic air travellers could be disrupted by the exercises. The Taipei Times cited Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA).
An estimated 857 international flights will be affected by the exercises on the 30th. These include 296 outbound flights, 265 inbound flights, and another 296 transit flights.
130 PLA aircraft, 14 PLAN vessels and 8 official ships operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 90 out of 130 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern ADIZ. We monitored the situation, responded. pic.twitter.com/I8fuJPc2GE
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, ROC(Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) December 30, 2025
In all, almost 900 flights are scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) as China holds its exercises around the island.
China’s Civil Aviation Administration has issued a notice that there will be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait that will be used for live-fire exercises. These will last from 08:00 to 18:00 on the 30th. All aircraft are forbidden to enter these zones during the exercises.
Many Taiwanese air routes will be closed
According to Taiwan’s FIR, of the 14 international routes to the island, only three will not be affected. These three routes (designed R595, R583, and M750) connect with Japan. The other 11 routes can’t be used during the exercise.
OPERATIONAL MAP: Our visualization shows the estimated position of CCG/PLAN vessels detected around Taiwan during day 1 of the "Justice Mission 2025" joint PLA exercise.
— Taiwan Security Monitor (@TaiwanMonitor) December 29, 2025
All data is from Taiwan's MND, specifically their press conference this morning regarding the exercise. pic.twitter.com/A0KH1DtOaK
While Taiwan is generally thought of as a single large island, it has other islands. The Penghu Islands are the largest cluster in the Taiwan Strait. It also has the Matsu Islands and Kinmen Islands just off the coast of Mainland China.
Domestic flights to the Matsu and Kinman islands will be completely blocked during the exercise. This includes 65 flights to Kinmen and 14 flights to the Matsu Islands, affecting around 6,000 domestic passengers.
Flights to the Penghu Islands in the Taiwan Strait, as well as Green Island and Orchid Island on the other side of Taiwan, will continue as normal.
Get all the latest commercial aviation news on AGN here.
China’s short-notice drills after Taiwan arms deal
Taiwan points out that regulations set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) stipulate that governments need to provide notice at least seven days in advance of military exercises that could disrupt flight routes.
However, Taiwan’s CAA states, “China issued the notice only one day ahead of the military exercise, seriously contravening international regulations and customary rules related to civil aviation.”
The BBC writes the drills are “simulating the seizure and blockade of the island’s key areas, as a warning against ‘separatist forces.'” The drills come days after the announcement of a record $11 billion military deal between Taiwan and the United States.
As of the time of writing, Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport appears to still be receiving international flights, with flights having arrived from Mainland China and across Southeast and East Asia this morning.
While the exercises are set to impact commercial flights, they are not expected to impact sea-borne traffic coming to and from Taiwan.
Featured Image: Wikimedia Commons
