Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

China to close Beijing’s airports during military parade

BEIJING — Chinese authorities have announced they will close Beijing’s two airports during a military parade next month to mark the anniversary of victory over Japan in World War II.

Liu Yunshan, left, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression commemorating the World War II victory over Japan, in Beijing Tuesday, July 7, 2015. Photo: AP

Liu Yunshan, left, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression commemorating the World War II victory over Japan, in Beijing Tuesday, July 7, 2015. Photo: AP

BEIJING — Chinese authorities have announced they will close Beijing’s two airports during a military parade next month to mark the anniversary of victory over Japan in World War II.

Flights will be banned or diverted for three hours from 9.30am on Sept 3 to enable the victory parade to pass off smoothly and ensure flights safety, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said in a statement yesterday (Aug 2).

They affect Beijing Capital International Airport, the world’s second-busiest by passenger traffic, and Nanyuan airport, a former military airfield.

The lavish military parade is to feature aerial displays and China’s latest weaponry. The display of armed might has put off some invited countries from attending given ongoing tensions between China and Japan over wartime history and competing claims to islands in the East China Sea.

China’s fast growing air travel market is the world’s second biggest, but the heavy air traffic and tight control of airspace by the military have given it the world’s worst record for flight delays. AP

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.