Airports operating smoothly, but not yet back to normal
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A passenger checks flight information at the Hongqiao airport's T2 terminal on Wednesday.
Dong Jun / SHINE -
Passengers check in at self-service machines of China Eastern Airlines.
Dong Jun / SHINE -
Travelers wait at the Hongqiao T2 terminal on Wednesday afternoon.
Dong Jun / SHINE -
A China Eastern staff serves passengers beside a self-service machine.
Dong Jun / SHINE -
A large number of travelers are seen at the Hongqiao airport's T2 terminal on Wednesday.
Dong Jun / SHINE -
Travelers wait in a long line at the Hongqiao airport's T2 terminal on Wednesday.
Dong Jun / SHINE -
A large number of flights are cancelled at Shanghai's two airports.
Dong Jun / SHINE -
Travelers wait in a long line at the Hongqiao airport's T2 terminal on Wednesday.
Dong Jun / SHINE -
Travelers wait in a long line at the Hongqiao airport's T2 terminal on Wednesday.
Dong Jun / SHINE -
A quarantine staff stands by at the Hongqiao T2 terminal.
Dong Jun / SHINE -
Travelers wait in a long line at the Hongqiao airport's T2 terminal on Wednesday.
Dong Jun / SHINE -
A large crowd of travelers are seen at the Hongqiao airport's T2 terminal on Wednesday.
Dong Jun / SHINE
Shanghai's Pudong and Hongqiao airports are operating smoothly, although flight volumes are not yet completely back to the levels before the COVID-19 resurgence and a large number of flights have been cancelled, the city's airport authority said on Wednesday.
The Shanghai Airport Authority debunked an online claim that all flights would be cancelled at the Pudong and Hongqiao international airports on Wednesday because of the pandemic.
Over 800 flights – 500 at Pudong and about 300 at Hongqiao – were scheduled to take off or land on Wednesday.
Rumors have been rife on the Internet since Tuesday night saying that 80 percent of the flights at the city's two airports would be cancelled from Wednesday.
One post said all flights at Pudong would be cancelled after 11am, while Hongqiao would suspend operations by 3pm.
"These are actually based on old news released in September 2021 when the airports suspended operations temporarily under the impact of Typhoon Chanthu," an official with the airport authority explained.
According to flight radar, the number of flights on Wednesday is similar to that of previous days.
Flight operations have largely restored since June, but remain half of March before the city's COVID-19 lockdown.
As of 10am on Wednesday, some 800 flights have been cancelled at the Pudong airport, along with 480 flight cancellations at Hongqiao, because many domestic routes have yet to be restored after the city's COVID-19 resurgence.
Nationwide, over 10,000 passenger flights have been operated every day since July, which is about 65 percent of the normal level before the pandemic.
