Thick Fog Forces Flight Cancellations in Shanghai
By Chen Liying, Shanghai Daily | Feb. 09, 2007
On Feb. 8, thousands of passengers were stranded at Shanghai's two civilian airports as flights were delayed or canceled due to the thick fog that has gripped the city and nearby areas since early afternoon on Feb. 7.
About 30 incoming flights were shifted to alternate airports near the city before 9am on Feb. 8, said Su Weiwei of the local civil aviation authority.
On Feb. 8, airport operations resumed by 9am as visibility improved, but delayed flights had to line up to land or depart, she said.
About 40 flights were affected on Feb. 7, she added.
On Feb. 8, seventeen flights headed to Pudong International Airport early morning were forced to land at alternate airports, and some flights from South Korea and Japan had to return home due to the weather, Su said.
Most of the more than 1,000 flights scheduled to take off or land at the two airports were either delayed or canceled on Feb. 8, she noted.
China Eastern Airlines said more than 30 flights were delayed by 3pm on Feb. 8.
On Feb. 8, morning's incoming flights from Paris, Bangkok and Frankfurt were forced to land in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. While a flight from Kuala Lumpur landed in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, the carrier said.
"Due to traffic control and the volatile weather at Pudong, the situation is still bad," said Zhang Jing, a China Eastern official. However, she noted the busy route between Shanghai and Beijing has now returned to normal.
Shanghai Airlines said half of its more than 200 flights were delayed on Feb. 8, affecting more than 1,000 passengers.
The carrier said stranded passengers were offered meals or accommodation.