Asia’s air transport was faced with numerous delays and cancellations due to disruptions on April 13 and 14. Airports in China, India, Southeast Asia, and Hong Kong were particularly affected by the situation, which led to more than 1,650 flight delays and almost 100 cancellations.According to a report published by Travel and Tour World on April 14, 2026, the major disruptions occurred at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport of Jakarta, Suvarnabhumi Airport of Bangkok, Singapore Changi Airport, and Indira Gandhi International Airport of Delhi. The most severe delays have occurred in Shanghai and Jakarta since these are the major airports from where flights are operated both nationally and internationally. There were numerous delays in Hong Kong but no flight was canceled at all.The metro cities of India, such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, have also been equally affected in terms of airline operations. The delays have not only been observed in national flights but also in international flights. There was also some spillover effect with Mumbai and Bengaluru owing their delays to other regions’ congestion.Airlines belonging to all segments were equally affected. The low-cost airlines operating in the dense domestic network contributed to the delays significantly, with full-service airlines suffering as well. In particular, IndiGo reported the most delays among the airlines.
Flight delays and cancellations
For passengers, this meant longer delays, missed connections, and changing their plans at the last minute.
But what caused this massive disruption?
It is important to understand that the numerous difficulties faced by the aviation industry around Asia were brought about by two factors, namely, pressure on operations and rising political tensions in West Asia, as per a report published by first post. In this context, airspace closure in countries like Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the UAE meant that airlines had to make changes to their flight schedules, especially in regards to long-distance flights connecting Asia to Europe and North America. These were compounded by the fact that crucial transit routes like the Strait of Hormuz had been closed; This not only changed the route taken but also increased fuel prices.At the same time, increased air traffic within key Asian transit points made the scenario even more problematic due to near capacity utilization levels and lack of room to accommodate possible delays. Those airlines that have significant domestic and regional operations suffered the most in terms of delay rates, with some companies even canceling flights entirely. In India, for example, it is estimated that since February 28, when the tensions began to escalate following attacks by the US and Israeli forces on Iranian targets, over 10,000 flights have been cancelled. At present, the number of flights connecting India and the Middle East has fallen drastically from 300 to 350 per day to 80 to 90 flights per day.