Travel Turmoil Slams Asia as Shenzhen, Hainan, Shanghai, Malaysia, Tibet, Mandarin, and other Airlines Face 77 Cancellation with 611 Delays, Leaving Thousands Stuck Across Beijing, Hanoi, Tianjin, Lhasa, and more

Published on December 1, 2025

Air travel across Asia faced widespread disruption today as eight major airlines—including Shenzhen Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Tibet Airlines and Mandarin Airlines—cancelled dozens of flights across key hubs. Major airports such as Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Xi’an, Lhasa, Taipei and international gateways like Doha and Amsterdam reported cascading operational impacts. Passengers experienced delays, missed connections and overcrowded terminals as carriers raced to stabilise their networks.

Shenzhen Airlines – Full List of Cancelled Flights

• CSZ9917 – A320 – Shenzhen → Qingdao – Mon 01:35 PM CST
• CSZ9893 – B738 – Shenzhen → Hangzhou – Mon 04:00 PM
• CSZ9918 – A320 – Qingdao → Shenzhen – Mon 06:00 PM
• CSZ9894 – B738 – Hangzhou → Shenzhen – Mon 07:30 PM
• CSZ9208 – A320 – Xi’an → Shenzhen – Mon 08:15 PM
• CSZ8657 – B738 – Nantong → Taiyuan – Tue 12:10 PM
• CSZ9602 – B738 – Shenyang → Shenzhen – Tue 01:45 PM
• CSZ9546 – A320 – Chengdu Tianfu → Wuxi – Tue 02:05 PM
• CSZ8658 – B738 – Taiyuan → Nantong – Tue 03:15 PM
• CSZ9545 – A320 – Wuxi → Chengdu Tianfu – Tue 05:25 PM
• CSZ8759 – A320 – Quanzhou → Yibin – Tue 06:05 PM
• CSZ9375 – B738 – Nanning → Nanjing – Tue 06:05 PM
• CSZ9172 – B738 – Nantong → Beijing Capital – Tue 06:45 PM
• CSZ9592 – B738 – Chongqing → Nanjing – Tue 07:35 PM
• CSZ9171 – B738 – Beijing Capital → Nantong – Tue 10:00 PM
• CSZ9591 – B738 – Nanjing → Chongqing – Tue 10:45 PM

China Eastern Airlines – Full List of Cancelled Flights

• CES2301 – Xi’an → Guangzhou – Mon 09:40 AM
• CES5448 – Chengdu Shuangliu → Shanghai Hongqiao – Mon 05:35 PM
• CES5209 – Shanghai Pudong → Taiyuan – Mon 08:00 PM
• CES2168 – Shanghai Hongqiao → Xi’an – Mon 08:10 PM
• CES5447 – Shanghai Hongqiao → Chengdu – Mon 09:20 PM
• CES5389 – Shanghai Pudong → Guilin – Mon 10:10 PM
• CES6415 – Qingdao → Nanchang – Tue 07:25 AM
• CES6416 – Nanchang → Qingdao – Tue 04:15 PM
• CES6209 – Kunming → Dongsheng – Tue 04:25 PM
• CES5291 – Shanghai Hongqiao → Changsha – Tue 05:15 PM
• CES5192 – Hangzhou → Beijing Daxing – Tue 05:35 PM
• CES5160 – Beijing Capital → Shanghai Hongqiao – Tue 05:40 PM
• CES6814 – Lanzhou → Shanghai Hongqiao – Tue 05:45 PM
• CES2166 – Shanghai Hongqiao → Xi’an – Tue 06:00 PM
• CES6396 – Taiyuan → Chengdu Tianfu – Tue 06:35 PM
• CES2258 – Qingdao → Lanzhou – Tue 07:00 PM
• CES6543 – Shanghai Pudong → Datong – Tue 07:15 PM
• CES6014 – Hanoi → Shanghai Pudong – Tue 06:55 PM (+07)
• CES6210 – Dongsheng → Kunming – Tue 08:00 PM
• CES5292 – Changsha → Shanghai Hongqiao – Tue 08:10 PM

Hainan Airlines – Full List of Cancelled Flights

• CHH7398 – Hangzhou → Shenzhen – Sun 09:45 PM
• CHH7361 – Guangzhou → Hangzhou – Sun 10:10 PM
• CHH7393 – Shenzhen → Hangzhou – Mon 07:20 AM
• CHH7497 – Lanzhou → Tianjin – Mon 08:30 AM
• CHH7497 – Tianjin → Dalian – Mon 12:10 PM
• CHH7785 – Changsha → Ningbo – Mon 12:25 PM
• CHH7498 – Dalian → Tianjin – Mon 02:25 PM
• CHH7786 – Ningbo → Changsha – Mon 03:00 PM
• CHH7427 – Shanghai Pudong → Chengdu – Mon 03:10 PM
• CHH7810 – Guangzhou → Beijing Capital – Mon 03:25 PM
• CHH7351 – Guangzhou → Chengdu – Mon 04:05 PM
• CHH7498 – Tianjin → Lanzhou – Mon 04:20 PM
• CHH7813 – Beijing Capital → Guangzhou – Mon 07:40 PM
• CHH7352 – Chengdu → Guangzhou – Mon 08:10 PM
• CHH7428 – Chengdu → Shanghai Pudong – Mon 08:10 PM
• CHH7588 – Guilin → Xi’an – Tue 11:00 AM

China Southern Airlines – Full List of Cancelled Flights

• CSN3872 – Nanjing → Guangzhou – Mon 08:40 AM
• CSN6119 – Beijing Daxing → Chengdu – Mon 01:10 PM
• CSN6120 – Chengdu → Beijing Daxing – Mon 05:35 PM
• CSN3871 – Guangzhou → Nanjing – Mon 09:30 PM

Shanghai Airlines – Full List of Cancelled Flights

• CSH9455 – Shanghai Hongqiao → Guiyang – Mon 02:05 PM
• CSH9215 – Shanghai Hongqiao → Lanzhou – Mon 04:00 PM
• CSH9216 – Lanzhou → Shanghai Hongqiao – Mon 08:25 PM
• CSH9139 – Shanghai Hongqiao → Taiyuan – Tue 07:15 AM

Malaysia Airlines – Full List of Cancelled Flights

• MAS3048 – Labuan → Kota Kinabalu – Sun 08:35 PM
• MAS3470 – Miri → Limbang – Mon 10:00 AM
• MAS6126 – Doha → Amsterdam – Mon 05:10 AM
• MAS3471 – Limbang → Miri – Mon 11:00 AM
• MAS3630 – Miri → Mulu – Mon 12:25 PM
• MAS3753 – Mulu → Kuching – Mon 01:20 PM
• MAS6127 – Amsterdam → Doha – Mon 01:50 PM CET

Tibet Airlines – Full List of Cancelled Flights

• TBA9996 – Shenyang → Xi’an – Sun 08:15 PM
• TBA9964 – Xi’an → Lhasa – Sun 08:30 PM
• TBA9850 – Qamdo → Lhasa – Tue 09:20 AM
• TBA9720 – Lhasa → Chongqing – Tue 09:40 PM

Mandarin Airlines – Full List of Cancelled Flights

• MDA1251 – Taipei Songshan → Kinmen – Mon 07:50 AM
• MDA337 – Kaohsiung → Makung – Mon 11:40 AM
• MDA338 – Makung → Kaohsiung – Mon 01:20 PM
• MDA1252 – Kinmen → Taipei Songshan – Mon 01:20 PM
• MDA1255 – Taipei Songshan → Kinmen – Mon 03:10 PM
• MDA1256 – Kinmen → Taipei Songshan – Mon 05:05 PM

Airport Impact Analysis

Shanghai Pudong & Shanghai Hongqiao (PVG/SHA)
Shanghai recorded the highest number of cancellations, especially on China Eastern, Shanghai Airlines and Hainan Airlines, indicating severe congestion, slot restrictions and possible runway sequencing issues.

Shenzhen Bao’an (SZX)
Cancellations on Shenzhen Airlines and Hainan Airlines point to high traffic density and operational pressure during peak travel windows.

Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN)
Affected across China Southern and Hainan Airlines, suggesting load challenges on China’s southern aviation belt.

Chengdu Tianfu (TFU)
Multiple cancellations indicate weather instability and possible airspace flow control in southwestern China.

Xi’an Xianyang (XIY)
Cancellations across Shenzhen Airlines and Tibet Airlines highlight central/northern China airspace congestion.

Taipei Songshan & Kinmen
Mandarin Airlines’ domestic cancellations suggest weather fluctuations in the Taiwan Strait region.

Doha & Amsterdam
Malaysia Airlines long-haul cancellations show ripple effects across international operations.

Causes Behind the Cancellations

• Widespread weather disruptions across coastal and inland China
• Air Traffic Flow Control (ATFC) at high-density airports
• Crew shortages and rotation delays triggered by earlier operational delays
• Ground-handling limitations due to overcrowded terminals
• Visibility drop and low-ceiling conditions at several airports
• International network imbalance affecting long-haul schedules

Impact on Travelers and Tourism Connectivity

The cancellations caused:

• Missed connections for domestic and international passengers
• Overcrowding at Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou terminals
• Reduced connectivity to tourism-heavy destinations such as Guilin, Lhasa, Xi’an and Chengdu
• Significant rebooking pressure as alternative flights filled quickly
• Disrupted travel itineraries for business and leisure travelers
• Longer wait times at service counters due to limited staffing

Tourism flows were particularly impacted across western and central China, where flight frequency is already lower.

Advice for Affected Passengers

Passengers are urged to:

• Check live flight status regularly
• Rebook early due to limited seat availability
• Keep boarding passes, receipts and booking references for refunds or claims
• Arrive earlier than usual to manage long queues
• Use airline mobile apps for faster modifications
• Track weather and ATFC bulletins in affected regions

Conclusion

The widespread cancellations across eight major Asian airlines reflect the growing operational strain within the region’s aviation network. Heavy traffic, weather instability and downstream scheduling issues created a ripple effect across domestic and international routes. While airlines continue to adjust operations to restore normalcy, passengers are advised to remain flexible and vigilant. As weather patterns shift and travel demand remains high, further disruptions cannot be ruled out, making preparedness essential for upcoming journeys.

source: different airports FlightAware