China Military Drills to Cause Flight Delays

[Randy W]

from the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong

 

China to face widespread flight delays due to three-week ‘military exercises’

Twelve mainland airports, many of them among the busiest, will be hit by widespread delays until the middle of next month because of what are believed to be PLA military exercises.

 

The mainland's civil aviation regulator yesterday told state radio that flights in and out of airports in the country's east - including Shanghai, Nanjing and Wuhan - would be affected from last Sunday until August 15 by the "high-frequency drills of another user".

 

State-run media did not say who was organising the exercises, but it is widely assumed to be the PLA.

 

Ni Lexiong , a Shanghai-based military affairs commentator, said large-scale military drills centred on the east of the country were needed because it would probably be the first target of any foreign forces attacking China.

 

[Randy W]

. . . and the Global Times

 

‘Air traffic control’ to cause widespread flight delays

 

Aviation authorities confirmed Tuesday that passengers should expect considerable flight delays during the next month at 12 airports in Eastern and Central China due to "air traffic control" issues.

Due to frequent drills on the part of "other airspace users," widespread flight delays began on Sunday and are expected to last until August 15, a total of 26 days, said the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), according to China National Radio (CNR).

. . .

Airlines have been required to reduce the number of flights departing from these airports, said the CNR report.

Although the notice did not specify the "other users," many believe that the "air traffic control" issues may in fact be caused by military drills. According to Li Jiaxiang, head of the CAAC, the civil aviation has jurisdiction over only 20 percent of China's airspace, Phoenix TV reported.

. . .

The People's Daily reported earlier that China has launched a three-month live-fire drill for army units across six major Military Area Commands, including Nanjing, Ji'nan, Chengdu and Guangzhou, on July 15.

 

[Randy W]

China lifts flight delay alert

 

BEIJING, July 26 (Xinhua) -- 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.