Travelers heading to and through China are facing fresh disruption as a cluster of major carriers, including Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Delta Air Lines, and several regional and international partners, cancel dozens of flights serving Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and other key hubs. The latest operational data and airline advisories point to at least 40 flights withdrawn from schedules in a short window, compounding a broader pattern of delays, weather related suspensions, and schedule tightening across China’s already busy winter aviation season.
What Is Happening: The Latest Wave of Cancellations
New operational reports from Chinese airports indicate that a fresh round of cancellations has swept through the country’s major hubs, with at least 40 flights scrubbed by a mix of Chinese and foreign airlines. Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern account for the majority of the cancellations, while at least one Delta Air Lines service has also been withdrawn from the board at a Chinese gateway. These cuts arrive on top of a much larger pool of delays running into the hundreds and underscore how fragile on time operations have become during the current winter schedule.
Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Chengdu are at the center of this turbulence. Recent figures tracking operations show Shanghai Pudong alone handling nearly 500 delayed departures in one day, with additional cancellations, while Beijing Capital, Shanghai Hongqiao, and Guangzhou Baiyun each report further clusters of grounded flights. The newly canceled services include both domestic routes and international connections, some linking Chinese cities with long haul partners in North America and Asia Pacific, which is where Delta and other overseas airlines come into the picture.
In parallel, separate reporting highlights a sharp drawdown of China Japan routes this season, with Chinese airlines canceling dozens of routes outright and trimming frequencies on others. While these route level decisions are calculated months in advance, the immediate impact for passengers feels similar to a sudden cancellation: flights that once appeared in booking engines are now gone, leaving travelers with fewer options and higher risk of disruption when irregular operations hit.
Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Delta: Who Is Affected Most
Among Chinese carriers, the country’s big three are again bearing the brunt of both attention and passenger frustration. Operational snapshots from recent days show Air China canceling multiple services and recording hundreds of delays across its network. A separate breakdown of weather related disruption published today notes that Air China alone has dropped 20 flights as storms and low visibility disrupted Beijing Capital and Chengdu Shuangliu, two of its important bases. These latest cuts sit on top of wider nationwide disruption earlier in the season, when the airline tallied double digit cancellations and dozens of delays over a compressed time frame.
China Eastern and China Southern are facing similar challenges. Data from China’s busiest days this winter shows China Eastern racking up significant delays and several cancellations across major airports, particularly in Shanghai, where the airline maintains a sprawling hub operation. China Southern, strongly represented in Guangzhou and across south and southwest China, has recorded fewer outright cancellations in the latest episode but has still seen a high volume of delayed departures, contributing to rolling congestion and misconnected itineraries for travelers changing planes inside the country.
For international passengers, the crucial detail is that Delta also appears among airlines hit by cancellations in China in recent days, with at least one Delta flight in the country canceled and another delayed according to disruption tallies for February 13, 2026. While this represents a small fraction of Delta’s global schedule, its inclusion underscores how tightly integrated US and Chinese operations are. When Chinese air traffic control restrictions, weather issues, or airport congestion begin to ripple through the system, partner and competitor airlines from overseas are quickly caught up in the same operational squeeze.
Key Hubs Under Pressure: Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu
Shanghai has emerged as the epicenter of this latest period of disruption. At Shanghai Pudong International Airport, nearly 500 flights were delayed in a single recent tracking period, with several cancellations logged as well. Shanghai Hongqiao, the city’s secondary but heavily trafficked domestic airport, added more than 200 delays and additional cancellations of its own. With China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines operating major hubs at both airports and Air China, China Southern, Juneyao, and others maintaining busy schedules, small shocks in day to day operations can quickly cascade into congestion visible across departure boards for hours.
Beijing’s dual airport system has not escaped the strain. Beijing Capital International Airport has posted over 200 delays in one recent operational snapshot along with multiple cancellations. Earlier coverage of nationwide disruption detailed even larger waves of canceled flights across Beijing and other hubs in late 2025, signaling that today’s pattern is part of a longer running challenge in maintaining schedule reliability as traffic rebuilds. Beijing Daxing, the newer airport in the south of the city, features in multiple reports concerning reduced or canceled services, particularly on routes to Japan that have been cut entirely by some Chinese airlines during the current winter schedule.
Further south, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport has been one of the most heavily delayed airports in China this week, recording more than 400 delayed flights in a single day and at least one cancellation. China Southern is the dominant player here, but Shenzhen Airlines, Hainan Airlines, and others also contribute to the dense traffic pattern along the Pearl River Delta. Chengdu’s airports, most notably Chengdu Shuangliu and the newer Chengdu Tianfu, also crop up repeatedly in disruption summaries, with canceled and delayed flights tied to both local weather and wider network knock on effects. Travelers connecting through these hubs should expect busy terminals, long lines at information counters, and rebooking queues peaking during evening bank times.
Weather, Winter Schedules, and Capacity Resets
One of the primary drivers of the latest 40 flight cancellation cluster is weather. A report published today highlights severe conditions across key Chinese regions, with storms, heavy rain, and fog forcing airlines to suspend or delay operations. In that report, 37 flights were suspended and more than 500 delayed nationwide, with Air China canceling 20 services on its own. Winter weather at northern and inland airports can change rapidly, and the combination of low visibility, deicing needs, and air traffic control restrictions dramatically reduces usable runway and airspace capacity.
This operational stress is colliding with a broader seasonal schedule shift that has increased traffic density. Since late October 2025, Chinese carriers have been operating under the 2025 to 2026 winter schedule, which, according to civil aviation authorities, features more than 119,000 weekly flights. That represents year on year growth and includes nearly 100,000 weekly domestic services layered atop a growing roster of international flights. While this expansion reflects strong demand recovery, it also leaves less margin for error when bad weather or technical hold ups strike.
Overlaying this, there has been a deliberate retrenchment on certain international corridors, particularly between China and Japan. Aviation data specialists and industry outlets report that Chinese airlines have canceled 51 routes between the two countries in the current winter season, covering city pairs from Beijing and Shanghai to smaller provincial capitals. Separately, recent figures from aviation data providers indicate that roughly 45 percent of scheduled flights from mainland China to Japan in February 2026 have been canceled, with Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, Dalian, and Guangzhou among the most affected points of origin. For travelers, that means that when disruption hits on remaining services, alternative options are fewer and seats harder to secure.
Impact on Domestic and International Travelers
For passengers already in China, the immediate impact is visible in crowded terminals and extended waits. Across a recent 24 hour period, one operational snapshot counted more than 1,500 delayed flights and 17 cancellations at ten of the country’s busiest airports, from Beijing and Shanghai to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Xi’an, Hangzhou, Nanjing, and Chongqing. Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern were among the airlines most affected, but carriers like Shenzhen Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, Hainan Airlines, XiamenAir, and Juneyao Airlines also suffered significant delays. In practical terms, this translates into missed connections, unplanned overnight stays, and tight turnarounds when rebooked flights finally operate.
International travelers are feeling the strain in slightly different ways. For those flying to or from Japan, the sharp cutoff in route options, combined with cancellations and schedule thinning, has made itineraries far more fragile. Chinese authorities have issued travel advisories urging citizens to reconsider trips to Japan because of security and natural disaster concerns, and major airlines including Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern have responded by extending generous change and refund policies on Japan related tickets into March 2026. While this offers flexibility, it also signals that volatility on these routes is likely to persist.
Travelers on long haul services connecting China with North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia may encounter disruption not only at their departure point, but also in the form of misaligned waves of connecting traffic. When departure banks in Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou run late or see pockets of cancellations, passengers on through tickets with partners such as Delta or European and Asian carriers may reach their connection points too late, forcing rebookings. Airlines are generally honoring involuntary changes without additional charges, but availability on alternative flights can be limited during peak holiday or business travel dates.
What Airlines Are Doing for Affected Passengers
In response to this latest period of irregular operations, airlines have rolled out a mixture of standard and special disruption policies. Major Chinese carriers customarily allow free changes or refunds when cancellations are directly attributable to the airline, and in the case of weather or air traffic control issues, they typically offer rebooking on the next available flight in the same cabin. Ground staff at affected airports have been tasked with reissuing tickets, arranging hotel vouchers in select cases, and providing meal coupons when delays stretch across mealtimes, though the experience can vary widely by airport and by carrier.
On certain international routes, particularly those involving Japan, Chinese airlines have implemented broader waivers. Notices shared by airlines and summarized in national media confirm that Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern now allow free refunds or changes for Japan bound, Japan originating, or Japan transit flights issued before late January, with travel dates running into late October 2026 for some tickets. These measures are designed to help travelers adapt to both the reduced flight schedule and official travel advisories without incurring heavy financial penalties.
Foreign carriers such as Delta typically align their handling rules with international standards. When Delta cancels a flight in China, affected customers are usually entitled to rebooking on the next available service, a reroute via alternative hubs where possible, or a refund if the new itinerary no longer suits their needs. However, when disruptions stem from weather, compensation beyond rebooking is often limited, so travelers should temper expectations and focus on securing confirmed seats and accommodation rather than monetary payouts.
Practical Advice for Travelers Planning China Trips Now
For those with imminent travel to or through China, the most important step is to assume that schedules are subject to change and to plan accordingly. Travelers should monitor their flight status closely in the 24 to 48 hours before departure, using airline apps and airport information channels, and should ensure that the airline has up to date contact details for text or email alerts. Where possible, booking nonstop flights instead of itineraries with tight domestic connections inside China can significantly reduce exposure to cascading delays.
It is also wise to build buffer time into itineraries, especially when connecting between separate tickets or when onward segments involve visa sensitive destinations. For example, travelers using China as a connection point to Japan, Korea, or Southeast Asia should consider longer layovers to accommodate potential delays at Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, or Chengdu. Given the sharp reduction in some international routes, travelers may find that same day alternatives are limited, making flexible hotel and ground arrangements at both origin and destination even more valuable.
Finally, travelers should familiarize themselves with current airline waivers and change policies. Those booked on China Japan routes, or on heavily disrupted city pairs such as Beijing to Osaka or Chengdu to Tokyo, may have the option to adjust travel dates, reroute through different hubs, or request refunds without penalty. Even on domestic services, polite but firm engagement with airline staff, clear documentation of delay or cancellation notices, and a good understanding of ticket conditions can help secure better outcomes when plans derail.