Asia’s already strained aviation system has been hit by another wave of disruption, with fresh data showing 36 flights canceled and 531 delayed across multiple countries and carriers. The latest turbulence is rippling through major hubs in China, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, as well as Hong Kong and other regional gateways, snarling operations at airports in Beijing, Shanghai, Bangkok, Jakarta, Manila and beyond. Low cost and full service airlines including Batik Air, Citilink, Cathay Pacific, Xiamen Air and Thai Airways are among those contending with the fallout as airlines, airports and passengers grapple with yet another day of uncertainty.

Fresh Wave of Disruption Across Key Asian Hubs

The newest figures, drawn from operational data for mid February 2026, point to a significant though targeted spike in irregular operations concentrated in East and Southeast Asia. While previous episodes this winter have often centered on India and Japan, the latest disruption map shows China, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines bearing much of the strain. Cancellations remain comparatively limited in number, at 36 flights, but the 531 delays logged across the region highlight how even modest schedule shifts can cascade through complex networks.

Airports acting as regional connectors are again on the front line. In China, major gateways in Beijing and Shanghai are reporting clusters of late running departures and arrivals as winter weather, congestion and air traffic flow controls combine to slow down operations. Jakarta’s Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Indonesia and Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi in Thailand, already familiar to travelers as congestion pinch points, are also registering elevated delay totals. In the Philippines, Manila’s main international airport is seeing knock on effects as late inbound aircraft from China and Southeast Asia force re timings of onward services.

Although the headline numbers for this latest episode are smaller than some of the worst disruption days earlier in the season, the impact on individual travelers is still substantial. Many of the affected flights are short haul regional services that provide critical feed into long haul departures. When those feeder legs run late or are canceled outright, passengers can miss onward connections to Europe, the Middle East or North America, triggering rebookings, overnight stays and in some cases abandoned trips. The pattern is another reminder of how fragile regional connectivity remains when conditions tighten across multiple hubs at the same time.

The operational picture shows a wide spread of carriers feeling the strain, but several names recur across multiple disruption reports. Indonesian operators Batik Air and Citilink, both key players in the domestic and short haul regional market, are again featuring prominently in delay tallies around Jakarta and other Indonesian cities. Their schedules are heavily built around high frequency routes and tight aircraft rotations, which leave little slack when weather, congestion or technical issues intervene.

Earlier in February, Batik Air was among the most affected airlines during a separate wave of disruption that saw dozens of flights cancelled and hundreds delayed across Indonesia, Japan and China. Those earlier events revealed how delays at Jakarta can quickly ripple out to secondary Indonesian cities and onward to regional destinations. The carrier’s operations this week again show vulnerability to congestion at peak times, with a relatively small number of delayed departures early in the day propagating through subsequent rotations.

In the wider region, Chinese carrier Xiamen Air and Thailand’s flag carrier Thai Airways are also contending with delay clusters out of their home hubs. For Xiamen Air, congestion and air traffic management measures around key Chinese airports are complicating efforts to keep schedules on track. Thai Airways, meanwhile, is managing disruptions out of Bangkok as Thailand’s main gateways juggle growing international demand with infrastructure that is operating close to capacity during busy travel periods.

Cathay Pacific’s Hong Kong hub is likewise affected by the broader regional turbulence. The airline has already spent much of this winter juggling weather related constraints across its long haul network and busy holiday peaks in the Asia Pacific region. While the latest bout of disruptions does not appear to involve large scale cancellations for Cathay, delays across connecting markets in mainland China, Southeast Asia and Japan are feeding into schedule challenges in and out of Hong Kong. For travelers connecting through the territory, even modest delay increments can translate into tight or missed connections on onward services.

Beijing, Shanghai, Bangkok, Jakarta and Manila Feel the Strain

China’s vast aviation system continues to be a central part of the regional disruption story. Operational data from recent weeks shows repeated spikes in delays at Beijing and Shanghai airports, driven by a mix of winter weather, heavy traffic volumes and airspace constraints. On peak days, hundreds of flights have departed behind schedule from mainland hubs, with delay clusters spreading from northern and eastern China to secondary cities and regional gateways. The newest wave of 36 cancellations and 531 delays fits into this pattern, with many of the affected flights linking Chinese hubs to Southeast Asia and other Asian markets.

Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand and Jakarta’s Soekarno Hatta in Indonesia are experiencing similar though slightly smaller pressure. Both airports are critical connectors for Southeast Asia, hosting dense networks of regional and domestic flights alongside long haul services to Europe, the Middle East and Australia. Even when outright cancellations are limited, waves of minor delays quickly build up into crowded gate areas, lengthy check in queues and challenges for ground handling crews attempting to turn aircraft around on time.

In Manila, the latest figures suggest that the Philippine capital is feeling more of the secondary knock on effects from late inbound flights than the primary brunt of the disruption. However, Manila’s airport infrastructure has little spare capacity, and earlier regional events have shown how easily schedule irregularities can tip the system into visible congestion. Once aircraft arrive late from Beijing, Hong Kong, Bangkok or Jakarta, subsequent departures to domestic points such as Cebu or Davao, as well as international routes, frequently run behind schedule, leaving limited room to recover punctuality during the day.

Combined, this network of strained hubs underlines the interconnected nature of Asia’s aviation system. While disruption may originate in one or two major cities, the impact is felt across dozens of airports that rely on tight connections and predictable schedules to function smoothly. For smaller regional airports that depend on a handful of daily services to big hubs, the cancellation or severe delay of a single flight can effectively cut them off for an entire day.

Why Asia Keeps Seeing Repeated Disruption Spikes

Aviation analysts point to a mix of structural and seasonal factors behind the latest disruption figures and the broader pattern of irregular operations across Asia in early 2026. Winter weather continues to play a major role, especially in northern China and higher latitude markets such as Japan and the Korean peninsula. Low visibility, fog, snow and icy conditions force airports to reduce runway movements, employ greater separation between aircraft and, in some cases, temporarily suspend operations. Even short interruptions can result in hours of cumulative delay when schedules are already tight.

At the same time, many airlines in the region are still working through the after effects of rapid demand recovery and evolving regulatory regimes. Carriers have expanded schedules aggressively to capture returning travel demand, often stretching available aircraft and crew resources to their limits. When things go wrong, whether due to weather, technical issues or air traffic management constraints, there are fewer spare aircraft and standby crews available to step in. This lack of slack makes it much harder to absorb shocks without resorting to cancellations or extended delays.

Airport infrastructure and airspace management are also key factors. Several of Asia’s biggest hubs are operating close to capacity during peak periods, with limited room to add additional movements or create buffer time between flights. Long term projects to expand runways, terminals and air traffic control capacity are underway in many markets, but those benefits are still years away from being fully realized. In the meantime, day to day operations leave little margin for error, particularly during holiday peaks such as Chinese New Year and school vacation periods.

Finally, the region’s role as a connector between multiple global traffic flows amplifies the impact of any disruption. Flights crisscrossing Asia link not only intra regional destinations, but also long haul routes to Europe, the Gulf, North America and Australasia. When a relatively small number of feeder flights are delayed or canceled, the ripple effects are felt across continents, affecting airlines far beyond those directly cited in daily disruption tallies.

Passengers Face Missed Connections, Long Queues and Limited Information

For passengers caught in the latest wave of delays and cancellations, the immediate experience often centers on long queues, uncertainty and sometimes conflicting information. At key hubs such as Bangkok, Jakarta and Manila, travelers this week have reported extended waits at check in and transfer desks as ground staff work through rebooking requests and explain rapidly changing schedules. Digital tools such as airline apps and airport screens help, but information can lag real time operational decisions when conditions are evolving rapidly.

Missed connections remain one of the most painful consequences of regional disruption. A delay of even 45 minutes on a short haul leg from Jakarta to Bangkok or from Xiamen to Hong Kong can be enough to cause passengers to miss onward long haul departures that operate only once daily. When alternative flights are full or depart the next day, travelers can find themselves scrambling to secure accommodation and adjust onward plans, sometimes at personal expense if compensation policies are not clearly communicated or easily accessed.

Families, elderly passengers and those on tight schedules for work or events are particularly vulnerable. The financial costs of meals, hotels and rebooked tickets can mount quickly, especially in cities where hotel occupancy is already high due to holiday periods or major events. For some travelers, the experience has been repeated several times this season as separate waves of disruption have hit different parts of the region in January and February, eroding confidence in the reliability of regional air travel.

Consumer advocates note that passenger rights and compensation frameworks vary widely across Asian jurisdictions. While some regulators, including authorities in Thailand, have strengthened rules around support and compensation for delayed and canceled international flights, others maintain looser regimes that place more of the burden on travelers to negotiate with airlines. This patchwork of protections can leave passengers confused about what assistance they are entitled to, especially when disruptions involve multiple carriers or transit through several countries on a single journey.

Regulators and Airports Review Contingency Plans

The recurrence of significant disruption days across Asia this winter is prompting fresh scrutiny of airline scheduling practices, airport capacity management and contingency planning. Civil aviation authorities in several countries have signaled that they are monitoring on time performance trends closely and reviewing how airlines communicate with passengers during major irregular operations. Some regulators are already pushing carriers to improve their handling of delays, including requiring clearer information and, in some cases, mandating minimum levels of assistance such as meals, hotel accommodation and refunds during extended disruptions.

Airport operators are likewise reassessing their playbooks for dealing with concentrated waves of delayed flights. At busy hubs, this involves everything from revisiting gate allocation strategies and ground handling resourcing to examining passenger flow management within terminals. Some airports are experimenting with more dynamic use of remote stands and flexible gate assignments in an effort to keep aircraft moving even when schedules slip, though these measures can introduce additional complexity for passengers who must be transferred by bus between aircraft and terminals.

Industry insiders say there is increasing recognition that disruption events like the one involving 36 cancellations and 531 delays this week are no longer rare outliers but recurring stress tests for the system. As climate patterns evolve and air traffic continues to grow across Asia, aviation stakeholders are being pushed to strengthen resilience. That includes investments in more robust weather forecasting, better integration of air traffic management systems, and greater transparency in how schedule data and operational changes are shared between airlines, airports and passengers.

However, meaningful change is likely to take time. Many of the underlying issues, from infrastructure constraints to fleet renewal cycles, cannot be resolved overnight. In the near term, travelers can expect intermittent disruption spikes to remain a feature of flying in Asia’s dynamic but capacity constrained air markets, especially during seasonal peaks and periods of challenging weather.

What Travelers Should Expect in the Coming Days

Looking ahead, aviation data and recent patterns suggest that further pockets of disruption are likely as February progresses, particularly around busy holiday travel windows and on routes linking major Chinese hubs with Southeast Asia. While there is no indication that the specific cluster of 36 cancellations and 531 delays will develop into a multi day meltdown, experience from past events shows that recovery can take 24 to 48 hours in systems where aircraft and crews are already stretched.

Passengers with upcoming trips through Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Jakarta or Manila are being advised by airlines and travel agents to monitor flight status closely and allow extra time for transfers wherever possible. For itineraries involving tight connections, especially between separately ticketed flights or across different airlines, the risk of missed connections remains elevated. Travel experts recommend building longer layovers into complex itineraries and, where feasible, consolidating travel onto a single carrier or alliance to simplify rebooking options if things go wrong.

For now, Asia’s aviation sector continues to walk a fine line between managing resurgent travel demand and coping with the operational realities of winter weather, constrained capacity and dense traffic flows. The latest wave of cancellations and delays underscores how quickly that balance can be upset, leaving airlines, airports and passengers scrambling to adapt when conditions shift. As regional stakeholders work to strengthen resilience, travelers across the continent and beyond are likely to experience more days when patience, flexibility and contingency planning become essential parts of any journey.