Hundreds of air travelers across China spent Friday confined to terminals, cordoned-off boarding areas, and even parked aircraft as a wave of cancellations and extensive delays rippled through the country’s aviation network. Real-time operational data showed at least 54 flights canceled and 1,171 delayed, disrupting services on China Eastern Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Spring Airlines and a string of other carriers, with knock-on effects felt from Shanghai and Beijing to Xi’an, Chengdu, Harbin, Wenzhou, Nanchang and Shenyang.
Nationwide Disruption Hits Major Chinese Carriers
The latest figures from aviation tracking platforms and airport operations dashboards on February 14 point to an unusually severe day of disruption in China’s already busy pre–Spring Festival travel period. While China Southern and Air China were also affected, the sharpest focus fell on China Eastern, its Shanghai-based affiliate Shanghai Airlines, budget carrier Spring Airlines and Shenzhen Airlines, which together account for a large share of domestic capacity through eastern and central China.
Preliminary counts indicated 54 cancellations and 1,171 delays involving Chinese and regional airlines throughout the day, with China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines bearing a disproportionate share at their Shanghai hubs. Industry analysts noted that these figures reflect only confirmed operations and that late-night cancellations and rolling delays could push the totals higher as airlines continued efforts to reset timetables.
Operational irregularities were not limited to a single region. While coastal megacities such as Shanghai and Beijing were central to the disruption, inland hubs including Xi’an and Chengdu also reported significant schedule slippage. The breadth of affected carriers and airports underscored how even localized weather patterns or congestion can cascade quickly across a highly interconnected domestic network now operating near or above pre-pandemic capacity.
Shanghai and Beijing at the Epicenter of Gridlock
Shanghai’s twin airports, Pudong and Hongqiao, once again sat at the heart of the turmoil. China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines, both headquartered in the city, recorded clusters of cancellations and more than a hundred delays centered on Shanghai-bound and Shanghai-originating routes. Spring Airlines, which uses Shanghai as a core operating base, added to the congestion as its low-cost model relies heavily on fast turnarounds and dense scheduling, leaving limited margin when irregular operations strike.
Passengers in Shanghai reported long queues spilling out from customer service counters as rebooking capacity tightened quickly on key trunk routes to Beijing, Xi’an and Chengdu. With many flights still operating, but off-schedule, the terminals saw overlapping waves of delayed departures and late-arriving aircraft, compounding crowding in waiting areas and at security checkpoints.
In Beijing, both Capital International and Daxing International airports reported elevated delay levels on flights operated by China Eastern, China Southern, Air China and several regional partners. High-frequency links between Beijing and Shanghai, as well as to Dalian and Xi’an, experienced rolling pushbacks as airlines attempted to prioritize aircraft and crews for peak-demand evening departures. The resulting disruption hit not only point-to-point travelers but also transit passengers relying on Beijing as an interchange for domestic and international connections.
Ripple Effects in Xi’an, Chengdu and Harbin
Further inland, Xi’an Xianyang International Airport, a strategic hub linking eastern China to the country’s northwest, saw its own slate of delays as aircraft and crews originating from Shanghai and Beijing arrived late or out of rotation. China Eastern flights to and from Xi’an were notably affected, with multiple services departing well behind schedule. For travelers heading toward destinations such as Urumqi or Lanzhou, missed connections meant unexpectedly long stopovers and overnight stays.
Chengdu’s dual-airport system, split between Shuangliu and the newer Tianfu International Airport, also reported widespread delays. Shenzhen Airlines and other carriers with significant Chengdu operations struggled to maintain punctuality once the disruption pattern was established further east. Given Chengdu’s role as a gateway to the southwest and as a transfer point for flights toward Southeast Asia, the operational turbulence had knock-on implications for international journeys as well.
In the far northeast, Harbin Taiping International Airport experienced a familiar combination of winter weather concerns and network-related delays. Although not all disruptions were directly linked to conditions in Harbin, the region’s seasonal susceptibility to snow and low visibility meant that any reduction in buffer time on inbound aircraft could tip borderline conditions into outright postponements or diversions. Passengers reported departures held at gates or on taxiways as air traffic controllers sequenced late-running flights into constrained time slots.
Smaller Hubs Like Wenzhou, Nanchang and Shenyang Feel the Strain
Beyond the marquee hubs, secondary airports such as Wenzhou Longwan, Nanchang Changbei and Shenyang Taoxian also found themselves under pressure. At Nanchang, live operations data on Friday showed more than half of departures experiencing delays, with average wait times approaching two hours. While only a small fraction of services were formally canceled, the cumulative impact on travelers was significant, particularly for those relying on tight same-day connections via Shanghai or Shenzhen.
Spring Airlines, which operates a growing network of point-to-point routes to and from Shenyang and Nanchang, reported off-schedule flights that reflected upstream issues more than local constraints. Even where weather and airport conditions were normal, late-arriving aircraft from Shanghai or other hubs forced ground crews to compress turnaround procedures or reschedule subsequent sectors, creating a domino effect across the rest of the day’s network.
In Wenzhou, a coastal city in Zhejiang province, travelers encountered similar problems as delayed inbound traffic from Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen compressed the airport’s peak periods into overlapping waves. With limited gate and ramp capacity, ground congestion further slowed boarding and deplaning, reinforcing the cycle of delay. Regional carriers attempting to serve short-haul routes into Wenzhou were left with a stark choice between canceling marginal flights or accepting significant schedule slippage.
Passengers Isolated in Terminals and on Tarmac
As disruptions lengthened through the day, passenger accounts described scenes of “isolation” at multiple airports, with travelers effectively confined to controlled zones while awaiting updates on their flights. Some China Eastern and Spring Airlines passengers reported remaining onboard parked aircraft for extended periods after boarding, as departing slots were repeatedly revised. In other cases, passengers were held at gate areas after security screening, unable to exit easily back into public landside spaces without risking further screening delays if and when boarding finally commenced.
At Shanghai Pudong, videos and images shared on Chinese social media platforms showed families camped out on the floor near power outlets, children sleeping on luggage and long lines circling airline counters where staff attempted to issue meal vouchers or rebooking options. Similar scenes unfolded at Beijing Capital and Xi’an, where airline representatives faced frustrated crowds demanding clearer information about departure times and accommodation arrangements.
Language barriers and varying levels of digital literacy added to the sense of isolation for some passengers, particularly older travelers less comfortable navigating airline apps and self-service tools. While many carriers pushed notifications via mobile platforms, those without ready access to smartphones or who were traveling on separate bookings found it difficult to piece together real-time updates across multiple flights and airports.
Airlines Cite Weather, Congestion and Crew Scheduling
Official statements from airlines on Friday pointed to a “complex mix” of contributing factors, including localized weather disruptions, airspace congestion, and crew scheduling constraints at several busy hubs. Shenzhen Airlines, which earlier this year acknowledged operational challenges during the New Year period tied to crew rotation and overextended capacity, again pointed to staffing pressures as a limiting factor in its ability to recover quickly from early-morning delays.
China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines emphasized that safety would remain the paramount consideration, with some cancellations implemented proactively rather than risk cascading delays into the late-night period. Industry observers noted that with Chinese carriers now operating at or above pre-pandemic capacity levels, even minor disturbances can quickly magnify when aircraft and crews are scheduled tightly from dawn until past midnight.
Meteorological conditions did play a part in some regions, including intermittent low visibility and winter weather concerns in northern and northeastern China. However, analysts stressed that Friday’s disruption pattern highlighted structural challenges within the domestic system, particularly at multi-airport metroplexes such as Shanghai, where coordination of runways, terminals and airspace is inherently complex.
Regulations and Compensation: What Passengers Can Expect
For stranded passengers, one of the most immediate concerns was whether they would receive compensation or tangible support such as hotel rooms, meals and ground transportation. Under operating manuals published by carriers such as China Eastern, travelers on flights delayed beyond set thresholds due to airline-responsible causes may be eligible for set cash or voucher compensation tiers, alongside service measures such as refreshments, accommodation and rebooking assistance.
In practice, however, the classification of a delay as “airline-attributable” versus the result of weather, air traffic control instructions or other external factors can be complex and opaque for passengers. Travelers queuing at Shanghai and Beijing counters on Friday reported mixed experiences, with some successfully receiving vouchers or hotel referrals, while others were advised that weather or congestion exemptions applied, limiting their entitlements.
Consumer advocates in China have repeatedly called for clearer, more uniform standards for delay handling and communication. They argue that as the country’s civil aviation system carries record numbers of passengers each Spring Festival season, both airlines and regulators should ensure that compensation policies, digital notification tools and on-the-ground support keep pace with rising expectations and capacity levels.
Broader Implications for China’s Aviation Network
Friday’s wave of cancellations and delays comes at a sensitive moment for China’s aviation sector. Official data show that national passenger numbers during the 2025 Spring Festival travel period already set record highs, and early booking patterns suggest similarly intense demand for the 2026 season. With more flights, fuller aircraft and tighter schedules, the margin for error has narrowed, making resilience measures and smarter traffic management all the more critical.
Researchers and policymakers have been studying ways to optimize operations in complex terminal areas, such as Shanghai’s multi-airport system, to reduce chronic arrival and departure congestion. Proposed solutions range from advanced scheduling algorithms for runway use to more flexible slot management and improved coordination between air traffic control and airlines. The goal is to cut average delay times while preserving safety and maximizing throughput.
For travelers, the events of February 14 serve as a reminder that even in periods of strong recovery and growth, the risks of disruption remain significant. Industry executives contend that continued investment in infrastructure, digital information platforms and staff training will be essential if China’s aviation network is to manage not just peak holiday traffic, but also the day-to-day surges and shocks that come with an increasingly busy sky.