Taiwan ADIZ Violations in 2025 — Monthly Totals, Peak Days and Records
Overview
Every PLA aircraft that Taiwan's ministry of national defense reported inside its air defense identification zone during 2025, month by month: the busiest days, how the year compares with the rest of the campaign, and the incidents behind the spikes.
2025 Month by Month
| Month | Total | Daily avg | Peak day |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 248 | 8.0 | 27 · 22 Jan |
| February | 362 | 12.9 | 34 · 26 Feb |
| March | 309 | 10.0 | 43 · 17 Mar |
| April | 364 | 12.1 | 37 · 1 Apr |
| May | 339 | 10.9 | 34 · 26 May |
| June | 356 | 11.9 | 46 · 19 Jun |
| July | 392 | 12.6 | 45 · 16 Jul |
| August | 317 | 10.2 | 47 · 8 Aug |
| September | 313 | 10.4 | 26 · 13 Sep |
| October | 222 | 7.2 | 23 · 28 Oct |
| November | 266 | 8.9 | 31 · 6 Nov |
| December | 274 | 8.8 | 90 · 29 Dec |
Busiest Days of 2025
| Date | ADIZ aircraft | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 29 December | 90 | China's Justice Mission-2025 blockade drills bring record air activity and rocket fire ne… |
| 8 August | 47 | No incident logged within 3 days |
| 19 June | 46 | No incident logged within 3 days |
| 16 July | 45 | No incident logged within 3 days |
| 17 March | 43 | No incident logged within 3 days |
| 21 March | 41 | No incident logged within 3 days |
| 7 August | 38 | No incident logged within 3 days |
| 1 April | 37 | China stages Strait Thunder-2025A drills with live fire and closest carrier approach to T… |
| 1 July | 37 | No incident logged within 3 days |
| 23 July | 36 | No incident logged within 3 days |
Incidents Logged in 2025
| Date | Type | Incident |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Jan | Infrastructure | Trans-Pacific Express cable damaged off Keelung; Taiwan blames China-linked freighter |
| 25 Feb | Infrastructure | Taiwan detains China-crewed freighter after Penghu undersea cable severed |
| 1 Apr | Exercise | China stages Strait Thunder-2025A drills with live fire and closest carrier approach to Taiwan |
| 29 Dec | Exercise | China's Justice Mission-2025 blockade drills bring record air activity and rocket fire near Taiwan |
Reading the Numbers
2025 recorded 3,762 aircraft, an average of 10.3 per day. That is 22% above the 3,075 recorded in 2024.
Among the 5 complete years on record, 2025 ranks as the busiest.
The busiest month was July with 392 aircraft.
The peak day of the year — 90 aircraft on December 29 — compares with the year's daily average of 10.3. Activity was reported on 324 of the 365 days covered (89%).
The longest pause of the year was 4 consecutive days without a single reported entry, starting March 28.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many PLA aircraft in Taiwan's ADIZ were recorded in 2025?
3,762 aircraft were recorded over the course of 2025, an average of 10.3 per day.
What was the busiest day of 2025?
The peak was 90 aircraft on December 29, 2025. It came within days of a logged incident: China's Justice Mission-2025 blockade drills bring record air activity and rocket fire near Taiwan.
How does 2025 compare with 2024?
2025's total of 3,762 is 22% higher than the 3,075 recorded in 2024.
Sources: Taiwan Ministry of National Defense - PLA activities reports · Gerald C. Brown & Benjamin Lewis, Taiwan ADIZ Violations, PLATracker