Mass flight delays hit Shanghai airports due to thunder

Over 130 flights were canceled and about 180 more were delayed at Shanghai’s Hongqiao and Pudong airports this morning due to bad weather, the Shanghai Airport Authority said.

The Air Traffic Management Bureau issued an orange alert for both airports from 11am through 6pm today because of rainfall accompanied by lightning and thunder hitting the city and most flying routes.

It had predicted that the takeoff and landing capacity of Shanghai’s two airports would be reduced by half.

Eighty flights were canceled and 109 more were delayed at Pudong airport around 11am. At Hongqiao, a massive flight delay alert was triggered as 51 flights were canceled and 75 were delayed.

China Southern Airlines issued a flight delay advisory in the morning and canceled over 20 flights to and from the east China region. Local Spring Airlines also announced the cancellation of 10 domestic flights from Pudong and Hongqiao airports.