All flights at Shanghai’s two main airports were canceled on Sunday as authorities in the Chinese megacity prepared for a strong typhoon bringing high winds and heavy rain.
Typhoon Bebinca is expected to make landfall along a swath of China’s densely populated eastern seaboard between Sunday night and Monday morning, according to Beijing’s emergency management ministry.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that all flights at Shanghai’s two main airports would be canceled from 8 p.m. on Sunday (1200 GMT) because of the storm.
“Affected by Typhoon Bebinca, the traffic capacity of Shanghai’s Pudong and Hongqiao airports has decreased today,” CCTV said.
“Flight adjustments at the two main airports will be promptly released to the public in accordance with the impact of the typhoon,” it said.
The emergency management ministry said in a statement on Saturday that Bebinca would cause “heavy to torrential” downpours with “local heavy or extremely heavy rainstorms” between Sunday and Tuesday.
Officials held a meeting on Saturday to “research and deploy flood and typhoon control work in key areas,” it said.
Bebinca’s expected landfall will come during the Mid-Autumn Festival public holiday.
China’s railway operator is expecting passengers to take 74 million trips during the holiday, state news agency Xinhua reported on Saturday.
The emergency management ministry said officials must “pay close attention to the development of the typhoon,” adding that “many people will be traveling, mobility will be high and safety risks will be prominent.”- Alarabiya
All flights at main Shanghai airports cancelled due to typhoon
