Drone intrusion halts flights at Taiwan's Ching Chuan Kang air base

Sep 08, 2026

A drone flying near a major Taiwanese air base briefly grounded both fighter jets and passenger planes — a small incident, but a worrying one for an island already on edge about airspace security.

  • A drone was spotted near the Ching Chuan Kang base in Taichung, forcing a stop to takeoffs and landings.
  • Two civilian flights and eight military flights were disrupted before operations restarted about 25 minutes later.
  • One inbound flight from Macau had to circle in the air until the base gave the all-clear.
  • Police sent officers to the area but never found the drone or whoever was flying it.
  • The case has been handed to aviation police, and patrols are continuing to hunt for the operator.

Outlook: Expect tighter drone patrols around Taiwan's military bases, with pressure on authorities to explain who was flying it and why.

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