China’s civil-aviation system suffered its worst single-day disruption of the winter on 17 December, when a mix of snowstorms in the northwest, military air-space drills and crew duty-time limits forced 153 cancellations and several hundred delays at Beijing Capital, Shanghai Hongqiao, Guangzhou Baiyun and Chengdu Shuangliu airports. Flag-carriers Air China, China Eastern and China Southern cancelled the bulk of departures, but regional airlines such as XiamenAir and Spring Airlines were also affected.
International services to Osaka, Seattle and Singapore were scrubbed, stranding business travellers who now face rerouting through Seoul or Hong Kong. Corporate mobility managers reported immediate cost spikes: last-minute hotels, overtime for ground staff and passenger compensation under China’s Flight Delay Regulations. Pharmaceutical and electronics firms moving engineers between Yangtze River Delta plants resorted to high-speed rail to keep projects on schedule.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) announced a post-event investigation and reiterated plans to accelerate slot-coordination reforms in 2026. Analysts note that while total seat capacity is back to 110 % of pre-COVID levels, runway infrastructure and air-traffic-control modernisation are lagging—especially at tier-one hubs.
![Winter Weather Grounds 150+ Flights, Disrupting Domestic and International Connections Across China]()
For travelers suddenly rerouted through third countries or facing unexpected overnight stays, VisaHQ can quickly clarify whether a transit visa or full entry permit is needed and even arrange expedited processing. Corporate travel teams can use the China-specific portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) to upload itineraries, receive real-time guidance and secure documentation, removing one more variable when winter weather unsettles tight schedules.
Travellers departing in the next 48 hours should monitor apps such as FlightMaster and Umetrip, build longer connection buffers and verify transit-visa needs if rerouting via third countries. Companies with China travel programmes might consider bulk-purchasing flexible tickets or contracting with charter operators for critical engineering movements during the winter peak.
Longer-term, CAAC is expected to tighten winter-operation contingency rules, including mandatory de-icing slots and dynamic crew rostering to reduce cascading cancellations.
International services to Osaka, Seattle and Singapore were scrubbed, stranding business travellers who now face rerouting through Seoul or Hong Kong. Corporate mobility managers reported immediate cost spikes: last-minute hotels, overtime for ground staff and passenger compensation under China’s Flight Delay Regulations. Pharmaceutical and electronics firms moving engineers between Yangtze River Delta plants resorted to high-speed rail to keep projects on schedule.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) announced a post-event investigation and reiterated plans to accelerate slot-coordination reforms in 2026. Analysts note that while total seat capacity is back to 110 % of pre-COVID levels, runway infrastructure and air-traffic-control modernisation are lagging—especially at tier-one hubs.
For travelers suddenly rerouted through third countries or facing unexpected overnight stays, VisaHQ can quickly clarify whether a transit visa or full entry permit is needed and even arrange expedited processing. Corporate travel teams can use the China-specific portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) to upload itineraries, receive real-time guidance and secure documentation, removing one more variable when winter weather unsettles tight schedules.
Travellers departing in the next 48 hours should monitor apps such as FlightMaster and Umetrip, build longer connection buffers and verify transit-visa needs if rerouting via third countries. Companies with China travel programmes might consider bulk-purchasing flexible tickets or contracting with charter operators for critical engineering movements during the winter peak.
Longer-term, CAAC is expected to tighten winter-operation contingency rules, including mandatory de-icing slots and dynamic crew rostering to reduce cascading cancellations.
