Urumqi (CNS) -- All 401 flights scheduled to depart from or arrive at Urumqi International Airport have been delayed, grounding over 10,000 passengers. Urumqi is the main airline hub in northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
Battling heavy fog since November 21, the airport issued its first orange alert this year, the second-highest level of warning.
Airline companies provided free tea to those delayed only a few hours, and free accommodation and catering services to anyone delayed for over four hours.
Visibility in most areas of Urumqi fell to under 20 meters on the weekend, exacerbating the city's traffic congestion.
The regional meteorological center predicted a snowfall or sleet accompanied by winds would put an end to the foggy weather, with a temperature drop in most parts of the region on the evening of the 27th lasting to the 29th.
The region's geographical conditions ensure Urumqi is constantly wrapped in fog from November to March.
