China Faces Major Travel Chaos as Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Delta, and More Airlines Cancel Over 140 Flights Across Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Xi’an, and More – New Update

Published on December 18, 2025

China’s air travel system came under significant strain as 143 China flight cancellations were recorded across multiple major airports over several consecutive days. The disruptions affected a dense web of domestic and international routes, with cancelled services linking key cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Xi’an, Kunming, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Urumqi, Seattle, and Osaka.

The scale of the cancellations reflects pressure across the national aviation network rather than localized disruptions. High-frequency business corridors, western regional links, and select long-haul international routes were all impacted, creating ripple effects across airline schedules.

Hangzhou Records Heavy Departure Losses

Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport emerged as an early pressure point. Hangzhou airport cancellations disrupted flights to Beijing Capital, Beijing Daxing, Chengdu Tianfu, Chengdu Shuangliu, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Chongqing, Kunming, Guiyang, and Luzhou.

Aircraft affected included:

• Airbus A319, A320, A321, A330, A333
• Boeing 732, 735, 738

Cancellations spanned morning, afternoon, and late-night departures, indicating sustained operational challenges rather than short-term congestion.

Xi’an Disruptions Hit Western and Southern Corridors

Xi’an Xianyang International Airport experienced one of the widest spreads of route disruptions. Repeated cancellations affected westbound services to Urumqi Diwopu International Airport, weakening a critical regional corridor.

Additional cancelled routes connected Xi’an with:

• Shenzhen and Guangzhou
• Nanjing and Tianjin
• Changsha, Hefei, Guilin, Lijiang, Nantong
• Regional cities including Hami and Turpan

The repetition of cancellations on similar routes suggests compounded knock-on effects across airline networks.

Shanghai Airports Reflect Broader Network Stress

Both Shanghai airports mirrored the nationwide pattern of disruption. Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport reported Shanghai airport cancelled flights to Beijing Capital, Xi’an, Chengdu, Kunming, and Penglai, including services operated by widebody aircraft and the C919.

At Shanghai Pudong International Airport, disruptions extended beyond domestic travel. Cancelled services included long-haul flights to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and international routes to Kansai International Airport, alongside multiple domestic departures.

Southern and Western Hubs Also Affected

Several regional hubs faced clusters of cancellations, reinforcing the nationwide scope of Domestic flight delays China. Guangzhou Baiyun, Shenzhen Bao’an, Chengdu Shuangliu, Chongqing Jiangbei, and Kunming Changshui airports all reported grounded departures.

Common patterns included:

• Repeated cancellations on trunk routes linking Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Chengdu
• Reduced connectivity to regional cities such as Zhaotong, Dehong Mangshi, Korla, Jingzhou, and Baoshan
• A mix of narrowbody and widebody aircraft affected across hubs

Beijing Capital Logs One of the Highest Cancellation Volumes

Beijing Capital International Airport recorded the largest single-airport concentration of cancellations, intensifying Beijing Capital flight disruptions. Cancelled departures affected routes to Shanghai Hongqiao, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Urumqi, Kunming, Nantong, Ningbo, Yangzhou, Changzhou, and several regional destinations.

The cancellations occurred throughout the day and involved aircraft ranging from narrowbody jets to long-haul widebody planes, underscoring sustained operational pressure at the capital’s primary hub.

Summary Table of Flight Cancellations

Passenger Impact and Operational Outlook

For passengers, the wave of China flight cancellations likely resulted in missed connections, extended travel times, and complex rebooking processes. Travelers relying on multi-leg journeys and those connecting to smaller regional cities were particularly vulnerable to delays.

From an industry perspective, this episode highlights the importance of Chinese airline operations analysis. The breadth of affected routes suggests challenges such as airspace constraints, weather limitations, fleet rotation issues, and cascading schedule disruptions. Monitoring recovery across major hubs will be key to assessing how quickly stability returns to China’s aviation system.