Source: CARNOC.com Author: Simon Li 05/12/2008
Subject Concerned: Airlines Flight Delay Airport Air Travel in China
Due to a strong earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale jolted Wenchuan County, some 140 kilometres northwest of Chengdu in southwest China's Sichuan Province, at 14:28 local time on May 12, the operator of Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport decided to temporarily shut down operations at the airport due to safety reasons.
According to airport officials, the closure will be enforced until at least 18:00 local time on May 12, but they cannot rule out the possibility that the airport will remain closed for longer period as any decision will depend on the actual situation at the time. As for the inbound flights, many have already been diverted to other neighbouring airports.
Based on information obtained by CARNOC.com, some airlines have started to cancel some of their flights to Chengdu later today.