Shanghai airport operator says reports about mass flight cancellation are ‘not true’ as lockdown fears unsettle residents
- Shanghai International Airport Co handled only 22 per cent of its ‘normal’ flights during the two-month lockdown in April and May
- Mainland social media users claimed cancellation rates of about 63 to 72 per cent at the city’s two airports
The state-controlled firm said reports that 80 per cent of the flights at Pudong and Hongqiao airports would being cancelled on Wednesday were “not true”, according to an exchange filing. It also rejected reports that all flights in Pudong after 11am and those in Hongqiao after 3pm would be scrapped, according to an exchange filing.
“We do not comment on information from third parties,” a company spokesman said when contacted by phone, when asked about the relatively high cancellation rate of 60 and 70 per cent observed by domestic travel app users. “We have clarified, that the [news about] mass cancellation of flights is not true.”
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Tens of millions under lockdown in China following outbreak of Covid BA.5 subvariant
The filing underscores the jitters about China’s tough zero-Covid approach, following a recent resurgence in coronavirus cases in China’s main financial and commercial hub. Authorities locked down the entire city for two months through May 31, crippling business and manufacturing activity and disrupted the daily life of its 25 million residents.
Shanghai reported five confirmed cases and 50 asymptomatic cases in quarantine on Wednesday morning.