Flights canceled as typhoon approaches

Over 100 flights have been canceled at Shanghai's two airports on Tuesday morning due to rain and thunder brought by the approaching Typhoon Mitag.

Pudong and Hongqiao international airports issued alerts for convective cloud clusters enveloping both airports around 7am. Over 70 flights were then canceled at the Pudong airport and another 30 were canceled at Hongqiao.

The alerts were removed around 8am as weather conditions improved at both airports, but downpours and thunder are still expected to influence flights at the airports as the typhoon moves closer to the city.

China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines have announced the cancellation of over 90 domestic flights mainly in east and southeast China for Tuesday. Half of the cancelled flights were scheduled to take off or land at the Pudong or Hongqiao airports.

Air China has cancelled 13 flights to or from the Pudong and Hongqiao airports on Tuesday. A dozen of the carrier's flights between Pudong and northeast, southeast and northwest China have been cancelled in advance.

China Eastern has promised effected passengers free refunds or schedule change services within a week. Passengers are advised to check their flights on the airlines' app or the official website of the Shanghai Airport Authority before heading to the airports.

The city's airports expect to handle over 2.3 million passengers during the holiday from Tuesday — 1.5 million at Pudong and 860,000 at Hongqiao.

The peak day for travelers leaving from both airports will be on Tuesday, with most flying back between October 5 and 7, the authority said.

On peak days, Pudong will handle some 220,000 passengers while Hongqiao will have 130,000.

The Hongqiao airport has beefed up its security check measures through Wednesday.

Passengers are suggested to allow additional time before takeoff and simplify their luggage. All electronic devices and portable chargers must be removed from carry-on baggage for manual inspections.