Travelers in Sichuan, Xinjiang, Gansu, Shaanxi and Hunan Faces Interruption across China as Chengdu Airlines Cancels over a Dozen Flights and Delays Multiple others, New Update

Published on December 8, 2025

Starting on 7th and continuing on 8th December, 2025, travelers faced major hurdles across China as Chengdu Airlines experienced significant operational instability. This instability resulted in 17 flight cancellations and 48 delays. Ultimately, this affected key domestic routes across five major provinces. Specifically, the travel disruption spanned Sichuan, Xinjiang, Gansu, Shaanxi and Hunan. This widespread impact underscores the fragility of regional air networks. Consequently, airports within Xinjiang were among the hardest hit. They rely heavily on air links to connect with cities like Lanzhou and Chengdu. Furthermore, this disruption stresses the importance of reliable domestic carriers for tourism. The next sections will break down the specific flights, routes and airports involved. Ultimately, we will explore the real-world impact of these Chengdu Airlines service issues on regional travel.

A Breakdown of the Affected Flights

The disruption involved a range of scheduled services, with both Airbus A320 and Comac ARJ21-700 (identified as ‘909’ in the data) aircraft being affected. The flight list indicates that services were impacted across two consecutive days, specifically Sunday and Monday. The list of affected flights reveals several critical domestic air corridors were compromised. Notably, services connecting the expansive Xinjiang Autonomous Region with inland China were severely disrupted. Key routes include:

• Xinjiang to Gansu and Sichuan: UEA2310 and UEA2309 flights, which operate a multi-stop route connecting Jiangbulake Airport (Xinjiang) and Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport (Gansu) with Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (Sichuan).
• Xinjiang to Shaanxi and Hunan: The UEA1880/UEA1879 services, which link Jiangbulake Airport (Xinjiang) with Xi’an Xianyang International Airport (Shaanxi) and Changsha Huanghua International Airport (Hunan), were also subject to irregularity.
• Intra-Xinjiang Connectivity: Multiple regional services were affected, including flights between Aksu and Jiangbulake, as well as services connecting Jiangbulake with Yining and Tacheng with Kashgar. These regional routes are crucial for connectivity within the vast Xinjiang province.

Delays

The majority of the operational issues were manifested as delays, which totaled 48 services, a significantly higher number than the 17 outright cancellations. This 14% delay rate across the observed flights indicates a systemic strain on the carrier’s capacity to operate flights punctually. This volume of delays suggests that the primary issue may relate to scheduling resilience or potential resource constraints within the airline’s operation across China.

Affected Airports

A total of ten airports spread across five major provinces in China were involved in the disrupted schedule. The operational stability of multiple key air transport hubs was thus compromised:

• Sichuan: Chengdu Tianfu Int’l Airport (TFU / ZUTF)
• Hunan: Changsha Huanghua Int’l Airport (CSX / ZGHA)
• Shaanxi: Xi’an Xianyang Int’l Airport (XIY / ZLXY)
• Gansu: Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport (LHW / ZLLL)
• Xinjiang: Jiangbulake Airport (JBK / ZWQT), Aksu Airport (AKU / ZWAK), Yining Airport (YIN / ZWYN), Shihezi Huayuan Airport (SHF / ZWHZ), Kashgar (Kashi) Airport (KHG / ZWSH) and Tacheng Airport (TCG / ZWTC).

The extensive geographical spread, reaching from Hunan and Sichuan in central China to multiple regional hubs within Xinjiang, underscores the widespread nature of the operational challenge.

Probable Impact on Local Tourism

The concentration of flight cancellations and delays across major and regional hubs in provinces like Sichuan, Xinjiang, Gansu, Shaanxi and Hunan is anticipated to impose a notable strain on local tourism. Regions such as Xinjiang rely heavily on air travel to facilitate the movement of visitors to geographically dispersed cultural and scenic sites. In this vast province, where alternative ground transport can be prohibitively time-consuming, the disruption of regional air links is particularly damaging. The loss of service reliability directly affects local businesses, including hotels, tour operators and related sectors that depend on the consistent flow of domestic tourists. For inbound and domestic tourists alike, significant delays can necessitate unexpected expenditure on accommodation and alternative transport, which subsequently diverts spending away from planned tourism activities, thereby negatively influencing the economic contributions of the sector in China.

What Affected Passengers Can Do Now

Passengers whose journeys have been disrupted by the Chengdu Airlines cancellations and extensive delays are strongly advised to contact the carrier’s customer service channels immediately. For services that were outright cancelled, passengers are generally entitled to either a full refund or re-routing on the next available flight. It is essential that affected travelers request a Delay or Cancellation Certificate from the airline. This documentation is considered crucial for processing travel insurance claims or lodging formal complaints related to the substantial travel disruption experienced across China. Proactive engagement with the airline is necessary to secure alternative arrangements.

-The information provided is sourced from FlightAware.