Taiwan issues land warning, cancels more than 100 flights ahead of arrival of Typhoon Champi

TAIPEI – Taiwan issued a land warning on Oct 22 ahead of the arrival of powerful Typhoon Champi and cancelled more than 100 flights, with the storm expected to brush past the island’s north-eastern coast and gradually weaken on approach.

At one point a super typhoon and one of the strongest storms in the Pacific in 2026, Champi weakened slightly on Oct 22 but was still packing gusts of more than 227kmh near its centre, according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration.

The storm is currently about 250km south-east of Taiwan’s north-eastern county of Yilan, the Central Weather Administration said. The storm’s path shows it will pass north-eastern Taiwan, turn north towards the Chinese coast and eventually move into southern Japan.

The administration said the typhoon’s radius expanded slightly to 320km, large enough to cover most of Taiwan, and weather experts said its impact could last nearly two days.

Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te called for the public to prepare for the typhoon, and avoid going to the mountains or the coast.

“A little more preparation means less risk,” he wrote on his Facebook page on Oct 22.

While typhoons are more common during the summer months, they can also strike in autumn, bringing strong winds and torrential rain.

Mobile phone alerts warning of waves of more than 6m were issued to coastal towns, while total rainfall of nearly 1m was expected in northern mountain areas, including the hills near the capital Taipei.

Champi is expected to be at its closest to Taiwan late on Oct 23, off its north-eastern coast, before heading north in the direction of the seas off Shanghai.

Taiwan’s transport ministry said 125 flights, mostly domestic, had been cancelled on Oct 22, though the rail network was so far unaffected. The interior ministry said no evacuations of residents had yet been reported.

Taiwan is generally very well prepared for typhoons, which keeps casualties low.

The typhoon is forecast to first pass over Japan’s westernmost inhabited island, Yonaguni, in Okinawa prefecture.

In Japan, major carriers Japan Airlines, ANA and Skymark have cancelled more than 100 flights, mostly domestic, between Oct 22 and 25, disrupting travel for over 11,000 passengers.

Flights between Singapore and Taiwan operated by Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Scoot have also been affected.

In an advisory on the evening of Oct 22, SIA said four flights scheduled for Oct 23 have been cancelled due to weather conditions caused by Typhoon Champi.

The affected flights are:

The national carrier said it will be contacting all affected passengers to inform them about the changes to the flight schedules.

Noting that the situation remains fluid, SIA said that its other flights may also be affected.

It added that people may visit its flight status page for the latest information on their flights.

Affected travellers may request to be re-accommodated on alternative flights or seek a full refund of the unused portion of their tickets.

Those who booked directly with SIA may use the assistance request form to seek the refund, SIA said. Others who made their bookings through travel agents or partner airlines should contact the agent or airline directly, it added.

Budget carrier Scoot, in an advisory at 10.15pm on Oct 22, said that 10 flights on Oct 23 have been cancelled due to adverse weather conditions resulting from Typhoon Champi. These are:

Flights TR875 and TR873 departing Taipei for Singapore on Oct 24 have also been cancelled. It added that affected customers have been notified.

“We will continue to monitor the situation with Typhoon Champi and adjust our flight schedules as necessary,” the airline said. REUTERS