Air traffic controls lifted, but delays stay

Though air traffic controls in the nation's central and eastern regions have been lifted, passengers should still expect delays or cancellations due to heavy rain and wind, China's civil aviation authority said.

Typhoon Nakri, which brought rainstorms and severe winds to the country's eastern regions on Thursday, affected operations at a number of airports on Friday and will continue to do so on Saturday, the Air Traffic Management Bureau warned on Friday.

Flights to and from airports in Shanghai, Wenzhou, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Ningbo - major traffic hubs in eastern China - would be delayed or cancelled due to thunderstorms, said the agency, which is part of the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Torrential rains stranded nearly 10,000 passengers and delayed more than 60 flights at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport on Thursday.

The harsh weather conditions come as air traffic control measures were lifted by the Civil Aviation Administration of China. The control measures were established in the past week because of thunderstorms and China's ongoing military drills.

The administration said civil and military aviation authorities are working to mitigate the delays, but warned that the high frequency of storms and poor weather conditions in August may still impact flights.

Geng Yansheng, spokesman for the Defense Ministry, said on Thursday that military exercises along China's southeastern coast are affecting civilian flights, but added that the ministry is working with civil authorities to minimize the impact.

"It is a fact that military activities affect civil flight operations. There is no exception to this around the world," he told reporters, adding that the military informed civil aviation authorities of the drills in a timely manner before they began.

Military and civil aviation authorities have taken measures to minimize the drills' impact on civil flights by opening temporary air routes, Geng said.

Wu Peixin, an aviation expert in Beijing, said passengers should monitor weather conditions and choose other means of travel if they want to avoid flight delays.