Flights Suspended at Shanghai Airport

By ELAINE KURTENBACH

SHANGHAI, China – China suspended flights at Shanghai’s international airport for at least several hours Friday “to control air traffic volume,” the city government said, refusing to elaborate.

The abrupt disruption of air traffic prompted speculation that military exercises were being conducted in the area, since the Pudong International Airport is on the city’s waterfront.

The military exercises broad authority over China’s airspace, and flights along the southeastern coast are occasionally diverted, delayed or cancelled due to military movements in the region, which faces Taiwan.

But such activities have rarely caused the outright closure of a major airport like Pudong, which serves China’s biggest city.

Flights to and from Pudong, to the east of the city, stopped at about 2 p.m. local time, said a city government spokesman, who spoke on customary condition of anonymity.

Nearly five hours later, staff at some airline counters said some flights were beginning to board. But they said there could be more disruptions over the weekend.