China Coup update: Air traffic back to normal after more than 9,000 flights were cancelled for unknown reasons

Amidst the rumours of coup in China and President Xi Jinping being placed under a house arrest, mass cancellations of flights were reported over the Chinese Airspace for the reasons not known.

Image: FlightRadar24

As per the data on flight tracking website FlightRadar24, the air traffic over the Chinese Airspace has normalize following reports of empty sky over China. As per multiple reports, China started mass cancellations of flights for unknown reasons. The data was validated by the flight tracking websites, as only limited flights were flying over China. Later, reports suggested that there was a coup staged in China and Chinese President Xi Jinping was placed under a house alert. However, China later refuted the claims of any coup in the country. 

On September 21, based on the report on The Epoch Times, Flight Master stated that 9,583 flights were cancelled nationwide, almost 60 percent of the total scheduled flights on the day. It is to be noted that Flight Master serves as a source of information on flight, ticketing, and travel services in the country. Moreover, the reports said that some of the air transport hubs in China had a cancellation report of over 50 percent.

The reports of The Epoch Times said Beijing Capital International Airport cancelled 622 flights, resulting in a 60% cancellation rate. In addition, 652 flights were cancelled at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, with a 54 percent cancellation rate. Similarly, 542 flights at Shenzhen Baoan Airport were cancelled, accounting for 51% of total flights.

Three of the Chinese airports, namely Guiyang Longdongbao, Lhasa Gongga, and Chengdu Tianfu, had a high cancellation rate in Western provinces. Guiyang Longdongbao had 539 flights cancelled, with a 99 percent cancellation rate. While at Lhasa Gongga 157 flights were cancelled, with a 98 percent cancellation rate. Similarly, 752 flights were cancelled at Chengdu Tianfu airport, for an 87 percent cancellation rate. Similar cancellations were noticed at other airports in the country.

On the website of China's top aviation body, there is no official explanation. However, Netease, a major Chinese news portal, reported yesterday that the cancellations were primarily due to recent COVID-19 flare-ups in multiple Chinese provinces.