More than 12,000 airline passengers faced delays involving 408 flights as a heavy fog continued to shroud Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Jan. 9.

Visibility at Chengdu's Shuangliu International Airport fell to less than 50 meters, far below the 550 meters and 800 meters required for planes to take-off and land, respectively.

Lu Shaoming, an airport executive, said the fog forced the facility to close for more than eight hours between 2 a.m. and 10:53 a.m..

"I am really eager to go home but there is nothing I can do but wait because of the fog," said a stranded passenger.

It was the ninth time heavy fog had disrupted flights to and from Chengdu since December 2007.

Photograph 1: Planes are seen in dense fog at Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan province, on Jan. 9, 2008.

Photograph 2: A man looks at a LCD showing information of flights delayed due to heavy fog at Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan province, on Jan. 9, 2008.

Photograph 3: Passengers wait at Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan province, on Jan. 9, 2008.