China lifts flight delay alert

Air passengers facing wave of delays

BEIJING - An orange alert for massive flight delays in Eastern and Central China issued on Saturday morning has been lifted, the country's airline regulator announced in the evening.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said traffic capacity has restored in two airports in Shanghai and other airports affected by the alert are returning to normal.

The alert, the first of its kind, said the airspace in east China would be quite busy on Saturday, affecting at least 23 airports in Shanghai, Nanjing, Nanchang, Hefei, Zhengzhou and Wenzhou.

The CAAC said in an earlier statement that "rainstorms, routine military exercises and other comprehensive factors" were behind widespread flight delays and cancellations.

Airline regulator warns of flight delays

China's airline regulator on Saturday issued an orange alert for massive flight delays in eastern and central China, saying the traffic capacity of some routes may drop as much as 65 percent.

"The airspace in east China will be quite busy on Saturday," the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said in a statement, noting at least 23 airports will be affected, including those in Shanghai, Nanjing, Nanchang, Hefei, Zhengzhou and Wenzhou. More