Why Mr Xi? China Bans Civil Flights for 40 Days in Its Airspace

China has banned civil flights for 40 days from a vast area of airspace off the coast of Shanghai. The official notice was issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday.

In fact, the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) announcing the access restriction had been posted online on 27 March and took effect a few hours later. The ban will remain in place until 6 May and affects an area twice the size of Taiwan, several hundred kilometres north of the island, covering a total of 73,000 square kilometres.

Unfortunately, China has not stated the reason. As of this report, China has provided no explanation regarding the ban.

“As of 8 April, China has provided no explanation regarding the ban, but there is no possibility of use other than military for this type of airspace restriction,” maritime security expert Benjamin Blandin told AFP on Friday (10/4/2026).

“It could be for firing missiles, conducting air exercises, and so on. We don’t know,” he added.

Aviation and defence consultant for Aviation NXT, Xavier Tytelman, also believes the restriction is “unusual”. Both in terms of size, duration, and the absence of altitude limits, whether high or low.

Typically, NOTAMs are intended to inform pilots about extraordinary circumstances affecting a particular airspace. They are generally issued before military exercises or during extraordinary events such as fires or volcanic eruptions.

“In this specific case, it means the government is reserving the zone for itself,” said Tytelman.

Meanwhile, the access restriction applies to civil flights but not necessarily to military aircraft, helicopters, or drones. The ban covers two zones over the Yellow Sea, between China and South Korea, as well as three other zones stretching across the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea, between China and its neighbouring countries, Japan.