China’s aviation network has been hit by another spell of disruption as a cluster of domestic carriers including Air China, low cost operator 9 Air, Chengdu Airlines and Shandong Airlines grounded a handful of services and racked up more than one hundred delays across key hubs. The ripple effects were felt from the capital’s Beijing Capital International Airport to southern gateways in Guangzhou and northeastern cities such as Harbin, complicating plans for business travelers and holidaymakers in the early weeks of 2026. While the operational setback is modest compared with the mass cancellations seen at the height of past weather events, it is the latest reminder of how quickly congestion and tight aircraft rotations can snarl China’s otherwise fast recovering air travel market.
What Happened Across China’s Skies
Tracking data and industry reports show that the latest disturbance in China’s flight schedule is part of a broader pattern of irregular operations that has emerged this winter. In this instance, at least nine flights involving Air China, 9 Air, Chengdu Airlines and Shandong Airlines were grounded outright, while more than one hundred additional services suffered delays ranging from minor hold ups to several hours. The problems were concentrated on busy domestic sectors linking Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou with second tier cities, but they also touched regional links that funnel travelers into provincial centers and tourist destinations.
Although the absolute number of grounded flights appears small, the disruption was amplified by the high utilization model that many Chinese airlines now operate. With aircraft scheduled on tight turnarounds and many routes running at or near pre pandemic frequencies, the loss or late operation of a single aircraft can cascade through a full day’s rotations. As delays accumulate at a hub like Beijing Capital or Guangzhou Baiyun, they can spill over to outstations such as Harbin Taiping or Chengdu’s twin airports, Tianfu and Shuangliu, quickly multiplying the impact on passengers.
The situation follows several months in which Chinese airlines have repeatedly been forced to trim or reshuffle flying programs. Industry portals have highlighted days with dozens of cancellations and hundreds of delays across multiple carriers, including Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Shenzhen Airlines, Chengdu Airlines and Shandong Airlines, particularly at the country’s largest hubs. These recurring incidents have drawn attention to the fragility that still exists beneath China’s impressive headline recovery figures.
Airlines Under Pressure: Air China, 9 Air, Chengdu and Shandong
Air China, the country’s flag carrier, continues to sit at the center of many disruption reports. As one of the largest operators at Beijing Capital and a significant presence in Shanghai and Chengdu, any change in its schedule ripples widely. In recent months the airline has appeared prominently in tallies of cancellations and delays, as it juggles capacity across domestic trunk routes and an evolving international network. The latest grounding of several flights and a new wave of delays further underline the operational stress that comes with maintaining high load factors in a winter season marked by bouts of poor weather and heavy peak travel demand.
Alongside the flag carrier, budget airline 9 Air represents a very different but equally vulnerable business model. As a low cost operator, 9 Air relies on rapid aircraft turnarounds and dense schedules, particularly on short haul routes that feed major bases like Guangzhou. Several of its routes to regional airports, including links into Japan and other Northeast Asian markets, have recently been cut or reduced as part of a broader capacity rebalancing by Chinese carriers. When irregular operations force 9 Air to ground a flight, the knock on effect on its tightly planned network can be disproportionate, leaving passengers with fewer alternative departures to rebook onto.
Chengdu Airlines and Shandong Airlines, both important regional players, are also under scrutiny. Chengdu Airlines supports connectivity from the Sichuan capital into smaller western and northwestern cities, while Shandong Airlines links its namesake province and other parts of northern China to core hubs. Reports late last year already recorded cancellations and dozens of delays attributed to these two carriers on single days, contributing to wider gridlock at airports in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu. The latest episode, involving grounded flights and fresh delays, reinforces concerns about whether these mid sized operators have sufficient buffer capacity and crew availability to absorb shocks during the demanding winter timetable.
Major Airports Bear the Brunt
Beijing, Guangzhou and Harbin were among the locations that felt the sharpest effects of the latest disruptions. Beijing Capital, still one of the world’s busiest airports despite the diversion of some traffic to the newer Daxing facility, serves as a critical hub for Air China and several other carriers. When a subset of flights is grounded there, gate congestion and runway queues can quickly build as airlines juggle late arriving aircraft, missed departure slots and the logistics of rebooking stranded travelers. The result is that a few primary irregularities can transform into a much broader slowdown across domestic and regional departures.
Guangzhou Baiyun, the dominant hub of southern China and a key base for both full service and low cost airlines, faces its own structural pressures. High demand on north south corridors, extensive connecting traffic into Southeast Asia and slot constrained peak periods mean that any grounded aircraft or crew shortage is difficult to recover from within a day. Low cost operators such as 9 Air, which have been expanding from Guangzhou on both domestic and international routes, are particularly exposed when spare capacity is limited. Delays here do not only affect southern China; they reverberate as far as Beijing, Chengdu and Harbin via through itineraries and aircraft rotations.
Harbin, a gateway to China’s northeast and a popular winter tourism center, illustrates another dimension of the challenge. Seasonal weather conditions such as snow, ice and low visibility regularly test airline and airport resilience. Routes linking Harbin to other Chinese cities and nearby international destinations have seen adjustments and cancellations in recent months as carriers recalibrate winter capacity. When airlines like Shandong Airlines or Air China adjust or ground services into Harbin on short notice, local tourism businesses and onward travel plans are immediately affected, especially during holiday peaks and winter festivals that rely on predictable air links.
Weather, Congestion and Structural Strain
While airlines and authorities have not always provided detailed public explanations for each grounded flight or delay cluster, a recurring set of contributing factors is becoming clear. Winter weather systems, including fog in western basins, crosswinds along the coast and snow in the northeast, repeatedly trigger restrictions on airport operations. Once departure rates are reduced or arrivals are held in holding patterns, congestion builds quickly at high density hubs such as Beijing and Guangzhou. This is compounded by the tight turnaround standards that airlines now routinely schedule in an effort to maximize aircraft productivity.
Post holiday congestion has also proven to be a persistent driver of disruption. In early January, for example, industry reporting recorded hundreds of delays and dozens of cancellations in a single day across at least eight mainland airports, with late running aircraft and crew rotations spilling well beyond the initial weather window. Even as the Civil Aviation Administration of China highlights record passenger volumes and high on time performance during periods like the Spring Festival travel season, these flashpoints show how vulnerable the system remains when traffic surges and weather or operational setbacks coincide.
Structural factors add another layer of complexity. Several Chinese airlines have been scaling back or reshaping international services, notably to Japan, trimming thousands of flights and seats over the winter season. While such cuts reduce overall network pressure, they also complicate fleet and crew planning, as aircraft are redeployed to domestic sectors that are already heavily utilized. For airlines like Air China and 9 Air, this juggling act can leave little margin for error when domestic disruption strikes, increasing the likelihood that even a limited grounding of flights will trigger widespread delays.
Impact on Travelers and Tourism
For travelers, the most immediate consequence of the latest disturbances is uncertainty. Passengers booked on grounded flights operated by Air China, 9 Air, Chengdu Airlines or Shandong Airlines faced rebookings, missed connections or last minute overnight stays in hub cities, frequently with limited information at the outset. Even those whose flights eventually departed experienced longer queues at check in counters, extended security lines and congested boarding areas as multiple delayed flights competed for limited gate space. Business itineraries that depend on tight same day connections through Beijing or Guangzhou were particularly exposed.
The hospitality and tourism sectors are increasingly sensitive to these fluctuations. Cities like Harbin, which market winter festivals and outdoor experiences during a short peak season, depend upon reliable air links to support both domestic and international arrivals. When disruptions hit around weekends or public holidays, hotels, tour operators and local attractions can see sudden waves of late arrivals or no shows. In southern hubs like Guangzhou, disruptions also affect outbound tourism and corporate travel, as residents connect onward to Southeast Asian resorts or regional conferences via domestic feeder flights.
Over time, repeated headlines about cancellations and large numbers of delays can chip away at traveler confidence, even if the overall statistical on time performance remains respectable. International visitors comparing regional hubs may reconsider routing through mainland China if they perceive a greater risk of missed connections, especially when alternative gateways in Northeast and Southeast Asia are available. For a tourism market that Beijing is keen to rebuild and expand, improving the resilience and reliability of the domestic aviation network is becoming as important as easing visa rules or launching new marketing campaigns.
How Airlines and Authorities Are Responding
China’s aviation authorities and airlines are under pressure to show that these disruptions are being addressed systematically rather than accepted as an inevitable side effect of growth. The Civil Aviation Administration has in recent years placed strong emphasis on safety and punctuality, highlighting improvements in national on time performance and celebrating record passenger numbers during major travel periods. For regulators, the immediate challenge is to balance continued expansion of capacity with the infrastructure and operational reforms needed to keep irregular operations within acceptable limits.
Airlines, for their part, have begun to make adjustments that may help in the medium term. These include seasonal reductions in marginal international routes, particularly on thin links to Japan and other nearby markets, as well as a renewed focus on fleet modernization and more flexible scheduling. However, real gains will likely depend on deeper changes such as improved crew rostering systems, enhanced weather forecasting and contingency planning, and closer coordination between airports and carriers when disruption does occur. Industry observers note that several of the worst days of cancellations and delays in recent months were exacerbated by slow communication and insufficient spare capacity on the ground.
Some carriers are also investing in customer facing technology to manage disruption more transparently. Mobile apps and digital kiosks that offer automatic rebooking options, push notifications and real time gate information can ease passenger frustration even when delays are unavoidable. For frequent travelers and corporate clients, more flexible fare rules and clearer compensation policies in cases of extended delays or involuntary rebooking are increasingly seen as basic expectations rather than value added extras.
Practical Advice for Travelers Planning China Trips
For international visitors and domestic travelers alike, the latest wave of disruptions underscores the value of building extra resilience into trip planning across China. When itineraries involve connections through major hubs like Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai or Chengdu, it is prudent to allow longer layovers than the minimums offered by some booking platforms. Choosing earlier flights in the day, when networks are generally less congested and crews are still within their duty limits, can also reduce the risk of knock on delays, particularly in winter.
Travelers should monitor flight status closely in the 24 hours leading up to departure and check in as early as possible online when available. Keeping contact details up to date with the airline ensures that any rebooking offers or gate changes are received promptly. For journeys that are time sensitive, such as same day business meetings or cruise departures, it may be worth arriving in the gateway city a day early rather than relying on tightly timed connections. In addition, purchasing travel insurance that specifically covers delays and missed connections can help offset the financial impact of hotel stays and rebooked segments.
Finally, flexibility and preparation remain key. Identifying alternative routes before departure, familiarizing oneself with passenger rights in the event of long delays, and maintaining realistic expectations about potential weather related disruptions can all help travelers navigate China’s busy skies with less stress. While the recent grounding of flights and surge in delays involving Air China, 9 Air, Chengdu Airlines and Shandong Airlines highlight ongoing vulnerabilities, they also point to the importance of informed, adaptable travel planning in one of the world’s most dynamic aviation markets.