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Taiwan Cancels All Domestic Flights For Wednesday

Departures board inside Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport during Tropical Storm Fung Wong, cancellations and retimes reflecting rolling schedule changes
5 min read

Key points

  • Taiwan canceled all domestic flights for Wednesday as Tropical Storm Fung Wong approaches
  • CWA land warning now covers southern and eastern counties with likely corridor impacts for Kaohsiung, Tainan, Pingtung, Taitung and possibly Chiayi
  • Airlines published rolling waivers and status pages, with schedule changes extending beyond Wednesday
  • Schools and offices are closed across multiple counties per DGPA, with updates posted through the evening

Impact

Flights And Rebooking
Expect wholesale cancellations on domestic routes and selective international retimes, use carrier waivers and move trips earlier or later
Airport Approaches
Plan extra time for surface transfers around Taoyuan, Songshan, Kaohsiung and Hualien as rain bands pass
Alternate Routings
If travel is essential, consider rebooking through unaffected windows or via regional hubs with confirmed seats
Documentation
Monitor airline apps and email for involuntary changes and confirm any residual credits or refunds
On-The-Ground Services
Check hotel and ground transport availability in southern counties where closures are widespread

Taiwan moved to a full domestic flight stand down for Wednesday, November 12, as Tropical Storm Fung Wong neared the island and the Central Weather Administration issued a land warning. Authorities said all domestic flights are canceled and selected international services are also being pulled or retimed, with operational focus on safety and staggered recovery once the core rain bands clear. Travelers transiting Taipei Songshan, Taiwan Taoyuan, Kaohsiung, and Hualien should expect rolling changes through midweek and build generous buffers on both air and road legs.

Central warning picture and likely corridor

The CWA land warning was first posted early Tuesday, initially covering Kaohsiung, Pingtung, and the Hengchun Peninsula, then widening to include Tainan and Taitung, with forecasters signaling Chiayi could be added as tracks tightened. The agency's outlook pointed to a northeasterly motion with potential landfall in southern Taiwan late Wednesday, a path that naturally concentrates risk along a Kaohsiung, Tainan, Pingtung, Taitung corridor, with spillover impacts likely into Chiayi. That alignment matches the counties most exposed to brief yet intense rainfall and wind thresholds that force aviation and road slowdowns.

Local media and wire services also noted precautionary evacuations ahead of the storm, particularly in vulnerable low-lying and mountain areas, reinforcing that southern and eastern districts will shoulder the brunt of short-notice closures and access interruptions as the system crosses.

What is changing for travelers

By Tuesday evening, authorities confirmed that all domestic flights for Wednesday are canceled. International services are being adjusted in waves, with carriers posting route-by-route status and change policies. EVA Air published a standing advisory and flight-status hub, and China Airlines opened a time-boxed travel advisory for affected tickets, allowing changes or refunds under published conditions. In practice, this means that even if your long-haul segment still shows scheduled, your Taiwan domestic connector will not operate on Wednesday and you should request a protected rebooking to a later date or a different gateway.

On the ground, Taiwan's Directorate-General of Personnel Administration, the clearinghouse for storm-day decisions, posted work and school suspensions across multiple counties, including Kaohsiung, Tainan, Pingtung, Chiayi County and City, Yunlin, Changhua, Taichung, Miaoli, Yilan, Hualien, and Penghu, with updates continuing into the night. These suspensions ripple into airport staffing, public transit frequency, and highway operations, which together slow check-in flows and increase trip times to and from the terminals even outside the peak rain bands.

Taiwan's transport agencies also reported water on known trouble spots, such as Provincial Highway 9 near Guangfu in Hualien, a reminder that road detours can change quickly when feeder creeks overtop. If you must travel by road around the east coast counties during the storm window, pre-plan alternates and expect intermittent closures and managed convoys in steeper sections.

Latest developments

As of late Tuesday, CNA reported the domestic flight stand down in force for Wednesday, with the storm center tracking north-northeast then northeast offshore before its approach. Forecast discussions and local coverage indicated the land warning would continue to adjust as the circulation interacts with terrain, so travelers should expect additional, time-stamped updates from the CWA, county governments, and airlines through Wednesday afternoon and evening.

Analysis

Operationally, the decision to cancel an entire day of domestic flying simplifies safety execution for tower, ramp, and crew teams while the core passes. It also accelerates recovery because airlines can focus aircraft and crews on repositioning and maintenance once thresholds drop, rather than fighting rolling, hour-by-hour holds. International flying will remain selectively viable, especially for long-hauls that can time their arrivals behind the strongest cells. However, any itinerary that depends on a same-day domestic connection is not viable on November 12.

For passengers, the cleanest play is to rebook out of Wednesday entirely if your trip touches domestic Taiwan legs, or to re-route via a different gateway and overnight if you must keep international timing. Use carrier-published waivers rather than airport social feeds because airline systems are the source of truth for inventory and reissue rules. Expect two waves of change notices, one overnight as planners lock Wednesday's skeleton, and one mid-day Wednesday as they open Thursday's first banks.

Background, how Taiwan handles storm-day closures

Taiwan operates under a clear policy framework in which the CWA issues sea and land warnings, then county and city governments set work and school status, and operators adapt schedules accordingly. The DGPA hosts the canonical closure list for the public. Airlines, airports, and rail operators tailor their service levels to match those decisions and their own safety thresholds for wind and water. This layered approach keeps signals consistent and helps travelers know where to check for authoritative updates, rather than chasing duplicative posts across social channels.

Final thoughts

The headline change is simple, all domestic flights are canceled for Wednesday as Tropical Storm Fung Wong's land warning expands. For travelers, the practical move is to push travel one day, or to re-route via a protected international path with confirmed seats and buffers. Keep airline apps and DGPA pages open until Thursday morning, and expect recovery to come in stages rather than all at once.

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