Travellers flying to and from China over the next couple of weeks should be prepared for heavy delays at a number of airports in the country.
Earlier this week, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) announced that 12 key airports are likely to experience significant delays due to ongoing military exercises taking place throughout the country. These include Shanghai Pudong, Shanghai Hongqiao, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Hefei, Jinan, Wuxi, Ningbo, Qingdao, Lianyungang, Zhengzhou and Wuhan.
There have already been numerous reports of delays, with Dragonair delaying a number of flights to Shanghai by over an hour, while those to Ningbo have also seen delayed departures too. Several international flights also experienced delays. Air France flight 117 was scheduled to depart Shanghai Pudong at 1020 but didn’t take off until 1310, while China Airlines flight 502, bound for Taipei was unable to depart until 1350 – nearly two hours later than it was supposed to.
Speaking to Business Traveller Asia-Pacific, a spokesperson from Cathay Pacific also confirmed that the airline's operations have been affected.
"The recent extensive flow controls for flights to and from Shanghai have had a significant impact on our operation, resulting in delays for our passengers," said the spokesperson.
"These delays and cancellations are beyond the airline’s control. We have done everything possible in dealing with the operational challenges and minimising inconvenience to the affected passengers."
To that end, Cathay Pacific will be consolidating its flight operations whilst upgrading its aircraft capacity as the situation requires to minimise the impact of the delays.
Meanwhile, the CAAC has also revealed that Beijing Capital International Airport will be closed on September 3 from 0930 to 1230. Flights arriving or departing during that period will be rebooked with new flight arrangements.
Chinese airports have a notorious reputation for poor on-time performances, which the Chinese regulator has been attempting to rectify.
It recently imposed heavy sanctions on Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport due to mishandling of flight delays over the past few months. The penalties include withholding of approvals for new air routes, chartered services and additional flight frequency upgrades.
For more information, visit caac.gov.cn
Clement Huang
