Passengers across Asia are facing another bruising day of travel as a fresh wave of cancellations and delays ripples through some of the region’s busiest hubs. From Jakarta and Shanghai to Tokyo Narita and Phuket, airlines including Batik Air, Garuda Indonesia, All Nippon Airways, Jetstar, Spring Airlines and Tibet Airlines are grappling with operational headwinds that have led to dozens of flight cancellations and more than a thousand delays. The latest figures point to 38 flights cancelled and 1,022 delayed across Japan, China, Indonesia, Thailand and neighboring markets, underscoring how fragile the region’s aviation recovery remains in early 2026.
A Region on Edge: How the Disruptions Spread Across Asia
The current flare up of travel disruption does not exist in isolation. It comes on the heels of several severe disturbance days in January and early February, when airports in Jakarta, Tokyo, Shanghai, Bangkok and Phuket each recorded hundreds of delays and dozens of cancellations within a 24 hour span. On multiple days since mid January, regional data aggregators have tracked thousands of delayed services and more than 60 cancellations in Asia, with Indonesia, Japan, China and Thailand consistently among the hardest hit markets.
This latest pattern, which sees 38 flights cancelled and 1,022 delayed across Asian skies, reflects the same vulnerability. Jakarta’s Soekarno Hatta International remains one of the principal epicenters, regularly logging several hundred late departures and arrivals as airlines struggle to turn aircraft quickly amid crowded schedules. In China, major coastal hubs such as Shanghai and Beijing have experienced rolling knock on effects: when early morning or late night flights slip out of their slots, crews, aircraft and connecting passengers often end up misaligned for the rest of the day.
Japan’s network adds another layer of complexity. Tokyo’s dual system of Narita and Haneda, alongside regional gateways like Sapporo and smaller airports serving domestic connectivity, has seen repeated weather related and congestion related bottlenecks since December. When even a modest number of flights are cancelled or held on the ground, the impact on tightly banked waves of departures and arrivals can be dramatic, quickly ballooning into the four figure delay counts seen this week.
Which Airlines Are Most Affected
The disruption is spread across dozens of carriers, but several names surface repeatedly as they manage dense route networks in the region. Indonesian carriers Batik Air and Garuda Indonesia, Japanese operators like All Nippon Airways and its regional affiliates, Australian based low cost carrier Jetstar, and Chinese airlines including Spring and Tibet Airlines are among those facing a combination of cancellations, long delays and tight aircraft rotations.
Batik Air and Garuda, heavily exposed at Jakarta and other Indonesian hubs, often find their schedules at the mercy of congestion and weather in archipelago airports that can be logistically challenging even in the best of times. Recent operational data has repeatedly shown both airlines recording double digit daily delays, with occasional cancellations when crew duty limits or maintenance windows are reached. For travelers using Jakarta as a transfer point to domestic destinations such as Bali, Lombok or Makassar, a delay on the first leg can easily cascade into missed onward connections.
In Japan, All Nippon Airways and its regional partners are balancing intense domestic demand with resurgent international traffic. Tight turnarounds at Tokyo Narita and other airports leave little room for error. When snow or low visibility conditions arrive, as they often do in mid winter, the combination of extended de icing procedures, runway inspection requirements and air traffic flow controls can quickly force airlines to trim schedules or endure rolling delays that push into the evening.
Chinese carriers like Spring Airlines and Tibet Airlines operate a lattice of routes connecting second tier and regional cities to major hubs such as Shanghai and Chengdu. Many of these airports offer limited alternate options or rely on constrained airspace corridors. A single disruption, for example a storm system over eastern China or a temporary closure for runway maintenance, can force multiple aircraft into holding patterns or diversions, leaving crews out of position for subsequent sectors and contributing to the rising tally of delayed flights.
Key Hubs Under Pressure: Jakarta, Shanghai, Narita and Phuket
Jakarta Soekarno Hatta stands out as one of the most consistently affected hubs in this disruption cycle. Its role as Indonesia’s primary international gateway and a central node for domestic itineraries makes any operational stress immediately visible. In recent days it has seen well over 500 daily delays, and a cluster of cancellations, as a combination of heavy traffic, weather and airspace congestion slowed arrivals and departures. For passengers, this often translates into long queues at check in, crowded gate areas and late night arrivals into secondary cities.
Shanghai’s busy airports have also been heavily involved in the latest wave of disruptions. As one of China’s principal international gateways, Shanghai handles large volumes of flights linking East Asia to Europe, North America and Southeast Asia. When regional weather systems or air traffic restrictions take hold, airlines are frequently forced to prioritize certain long haul services while allowing shorter regional segments to absorb the delays. This shift in priorities can leave flights to destinations like Japan, Thailand or Indonesia waiting on the ground while long haul aircraft depart as soon as a slot opens.
Tokyo Narita, alongside other Japanese airports, has experienced regular operational strain through the northern winter. Snow and icy conditions at northern and inland airports can force widespread schedule changes, while Narita itself must balance heavy cargo demand with surging passenger traffic. On days when cancellations spike, domestic feeder flights may be grounded or cut back, leaving international passengers without easy onward connections. At the same time, foreign carriers operating into Narita must sometimes adjust their timetables or reroute aircraft if outbound sectors are held for prolonged periods.
Phuket, though smaller than the giant metropolitan hubs, has become a focal point for disruption as well. As a leisure destination with high season peaks, the Thai island airport frequently operates at near full capacity during the busy months. When storms sweep through the Andaman Sea or air traffic congestion affects Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports, flights into and out of Phuket can face extended holding patterns or ground delays. This latest wave of delays, affecting more than a thousand flights in the region, has again highlighted Phuket’s vulnerability to bottlenecks elsewhere in the Thai and wider Asian network.
Why This Keeps Happening: Weather, Congestion and Fragile Recovery
The immediate triggers for each day’s disruptions vary, but several shared forces shape the broader pattern. Seasonal weather across Asia often plays the first role. Winter storms in Japan and northern China, heavy monsoon downpours in parts of Southeast Asia, and localized thunderstorms around key hubs like Jakarta and Bangkok regularly reduce runway capacity or force temporary airspace closures. Even a relatively short weather event can create backlogs that take hours, and sometimes days, to fully clear.
Air traffic congestion is another recurring factor. As airlines rebuild capacity after the pandemic era and chase surging demand, schedules in many parts of Asia have become tightly packed. Slot constrained airports such as Tokyo, Shanghai and Bangkok must handle more arrivals and departures than at any point in recent years, often within narrow banks of time tailored to business or leisure waves. When one or two flights run late, airlines can sometimes absorb the delay. When dozens are affected, the system quickly runs out of slack and passengers begin to feel the strain.
Operational resilience remains a challenge as well. Many carriers are still rebuilding workforces that were scaled back in earlier years, including pilots, cabin crew, ground handlers and maintenance staff. Spare aircraft are limited, meaning there is often no immediate backup when a jet experiences a technical fault. These structural constraints amplify the effects of each external shock, turning a localized thunderstorm or a brief runway inspection into a daylong disruption that echoes across multiple countries.
The cumulative result is a fragile recovery phase where even modest disturbances can produce outsized consequences. While total cancellations on any given day may appear manageable, the sheer number of delays creates missed connections, misrouted baggage and extended layovers. For travelers attempting multi leg journeys that connect Tokyo, Shanghai, Jakarta or Phuket with secondary cities, each added hour on the ground raises the risk of spending an unplanned night at an airport hotel or reworking their itinerary from scratch.
On the Ground: What Travelers Are Experiencing
For travelers caught up in the latest wave of disruptions, the data points of 38 cancellations and 1,022 delays translate into real and often exhausting experiences. Long lines at check in and transfer counters are common, particularly at hubs where multiple flights are delayed at once and passengers are vying for scarce rebooking options. Airport seating areas quickly overflow as departure boards fill with rows of delayed flights, and announcements of gate changes or revised timings echo through terminals late into the night.
Families traveling with children or elderly passengers can find the situation particularly taxing. Many of the affected routes in this period serve popular leisure destinations and family visits, rather than purely business travel. When flights from Japan to Southeast Asian beach resorts, or from Indonesia and China to regional capitals, are delayed or cancelled, the knock on effects can include lost hotel nights, missed tour departures and rearranged holiday plans that have been months in the making.
Business travelers are facing their own set of problems. Missed meetings, disrupted conferences and late arrivals into key commercial centers undermine attempts to reestablish reliable face to face contact across the region. For those using Asian hubs as springboards to Europe or North America, delays out of Jakarta, Shanghai or Tokyo can easily lead to misconnected long haul flights from secondary hubs, forcing last minute hotel stays and additional expenses.
Despite efforts by airlines to improve communication, information gaps persist. Passengers report receiving mixed messages between mobile apps, airport screens and staff at the gate, particularly when airlines are revising plans hour by hour in response to changing weather or shifting air traffic control restrictions. This uncertainty makes it harder for travelers to make informed decisions about alternative routes, accommodation or even whether to proceed to the airport.
Practical Advice if You Are Flying Through the Region
For travelers with upcoming flights through Jakarta, Shanghai, Narita, Phuket or other major Asian hubs, a few practical steps can help reduce the risk of serious disruption to their plans. Checking real time flight status directly with the airline’s official channels before leaving for the airport is essential, as operational decisions can change rapidly in response to shifting conditions. Where possible, booking longer connection windows can provide a buffer if the first leg is delayed, especially when transferring between carriers or terminals.
Travelers should also consider their baggage strategy. Whenever feasible, traveling with carry on luggage rather than checked bags can simplify rerouting if a connection is missed. When checked baggage is unavoidable, making sure that bags are well labeled and that photos of claim tags are stored on a phone can help speed up tracing efforts if luggage does not arrive as planned. Keeping essential medications, a change of clothes and key documents in hand luggage can reduce the stress of an unexpected overnight stay.
It can also be wise to familiarize oneself with passenger rights and airline policies before departure. Rules on compensation, rebooking and accommodation vary between carriers and jurisdictions, but understanding the broad outlines of what may be offered in the event of a long delay or cancellation can help travelers advocate for themselves at the airport. Some passengers may find value in travel insurance that explicitly covers delays and missed connections, particularly for complex itineraries that hinge on timely connections across multiple countries.
Finally, flexibility remains a powerful tool. During periods when the regional network is under strain, travelers who are able to shift flights to less congested times of day, accept alternative routings via secondary hubs, or move non essential trips by a day or two may avoid the worst of the disruption. While not all journeys can be easily rescheduled, a willingness to adapt plans can sometimes make the difference between being stranded in a terminal and arriving a few hours late but largely intact.
What This Means for Asia’s Aviation Outlook
The recurring pattern of mass delays and targeted cancellations across Asia in early 2026 is a reminder that the region’s aviation recovery is still a work in progress. Airlines have brought back capacity quickly to seize resurgent demand, but infrastructure, staffing and airspace management have not always kept pace. Each wave of disruption exposes the remaining weak points in the system, whether that is a shortage of spare aircraft at a key hub, insufficient de icing capacity at a snow prone airport, or limited flexibility in rerouting traffic when weather hits.
For airports and regulators, the latest figures underline the need for continued investment in resilience. Enhancing runway and taxiway capacity, modernizing air traffic control systems, and strengthening coordination between airlines and ground handling providers are all on the agenda. Some hubs are already experimenting with more dynamic slot management and real time data sharing to smooth peak operations, but the scale of the disruption seen in recent weeks suggests that further measures will be required as demand continues to grow.
For travelers, the message is that volatility is likely to remain part of the journey for some time yet. While headline numbers such as 38 cancellations and more than 1,000 delays may fluctuate from day to day, the underlying drivers of congestion and weather related risk will not disappear in the near term. Savvy passengers will increasingly plan for contingencies, build in buffers, and treat flexible bookings and strong travel insurance not as luxuries but as practical necessities.
Yet the resilience of traveler demand also tells its own story. Despite the inconvenience, tens of thousands continue to board flights each day across Japan, China, Indonesia, Thailand and their neighbors, filling cabins bound for business centers, family homes and holiday shores. As airlines and airports adjust to the new realities of a busier sky, the hope is that the peaks of disruption will smooth out. Until then, anyone passing through Jakarta, Shanghai, Narita, Phuket or the many other hubs now etched into Asia’s flight delay maps would be wise to travel with patience, preparation and a plan B close at hand.