Airlines flying in China must pay compensation to passengers for delays and cancellations: regulators

Chinese and foreign airlines operating on the mainland must pay financial compensation to passengers whose flights have been delayed or cancelled, Chinese traffic regulators say.

In addition, passengers who are forced to sit and wait on the tarmac after boarding an aircraft for three hours or more should be allowed to get off the plane , according to the draft regulation on air traffic, which will come into effect next year.

The decision, announced by the Ministry of Transport on its website, comes at a time when cancellations or delays involving mainland flights have become an all-too-common experience.

China has embraced a strong travel demand in recent years after decades of fast-growing economic growth, but according to a report by Civil Aviation Administration of China, Chinese travellers are having to spend an increasing amount of time at airports and sitting waiting on aircraft as flight delays worsen.