China’s Justice Mission 2025 military drill simulated a total air and sea blockade around Taiwan, disrupting international and domestic commercial aviation across East Asia.
China Justice Mission 2025 impact on commercial aviation: PLA Rocket Exercises Restrict Taiwan Airspace
On Dec. 30, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), China’s national army, conducted live-fire rocket exercises in waters close to Taiwan. According to analysts, some rockets fell nearer to Taiwan than in previous drills.
Wellington Koo, Taiwan‘s Ministry of National Defence, reported detecting at least 130 PLA aircraft and 14 naval vessels operating around Taiwan within 24 hours, including 90 aircraft flying across the middle of the Taiwan Strait, a critical 110-mile (180 km) wide waterway that separates the island of Taiwan from mainland China.
As part of the operations, China established seven dangerous or ‘no-go’ zones affecting civilian airspace. The restrictions were in place from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time, and resulted in limiting commercial flight access to the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR), a critical East Asian hub that contains 14 major international air routes.
Nearly 1,000 Commercial Flights Affected
Taiwan’s Ministry of Transportation and Communications estimated that 941 flights operating within the Taipei FIR were delayed, cancelled, or rerouted, disrupting travel plans for more than 100,000 international and domestic passengers.
While most international flights went ahead, 857 scheduled flights experienced significant delays. This included 296 outbound flights, 265 inbound flights, and 296 transit flights as airlines dealt with a restricted airspace.
11 of the 14 international air routes within the Taipei FIR were restricted during the drills. Only routes R595, R583, and M750, mainly allowing traffic to Japan, remained fully operational.
Due to Taipei FIR airspace restrictions, domestic aviation was also heavily affected, especially routes connecting mainland Taiwan with the offshore islands of Kinmen and Matsu. Around 84 domestic flights were cancelled on Dec. 30, affecting around 6,000 passengers and causing disruption to crucial regional air links.
Airplane Rerouting Increased Operational Complexity
Due to Taipei FIR airspace restrictions, standard routes became unavailable during China’s military drills. Airlines had to operate longer, non-standard flight paths over open ocean or via alternative flight paths, especially to Japan and the Philippines. Air traffic authorities from these countries confirmed that the restrictions doubled airspace coordination workloads for controllers managing traffic around the ‘no-go’ zones.
Major carriers, including China Airlines, EVA Air, and Starlux, had to operate longer paths around the seven designated ‘danger zones’, leading to increased fuel consumption.
The disruption also affected air cargo operations. Defence Minister Wellington Koo explicitly stated that these “highly provocative” drills posed “security threats and disruptions to passing ships, trade activities, and flight routes”. This is particularly critical as trillions of dollars in global trade transit this region annually.
Passenger concerns were heightened following reports that 27 rockets were fired into waters near Taiwan during the drills, with some landing within the island’s contiguous zone.
Read more stories about airspace conflicts and their impact on aviation here.
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