Airport shuffles its flight schedule to ease morning crunch

Beijing Capital International Airport, the nation's busiest, began to adjust departure times on Monday to ease traffic pressure and increase punctuality.

According to the Civil Aviation Administration's authority responsible for North China, the airport is reducing departures between 6 am and 9 am - the peak morning departure hours - and rescheduling them later in the day.

The total number of flights arriving and departing the airport daily - about 1,700 - doesn't change.

"After the adjustment, the pressure of the early morning peak will be alleviated. That will reduce the potential that other flights, after 9 am, will be delayed. Airplanes will spend less time waiting, and passengers' experience will improve. In addition, fuel consumption will be reduced, which saves operating costs for airlines and is also better for the environment," the administration said.

About 198 flights will now leave during the morning peak between 6 am and 9 am, down from about 216.

The administration reminded passengers to pay attention to any schedule changes and plan accordingly.

The airport handled 94 million passengers in 2016, making it the second busiest in the world for the seventh consecutive year. The busiest is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International.