Screenshot from Sina Weibo shows delayed flights from Tianjin Binhai International Airport on September 11, 2024.

Safety concerns caused by drone at an airport in North China’s Tianjin Municipality on Wednesday evening delayed 29 flights and canceled eight, affecting the travel plans of over 3,000 passengers as of late Wednesday night. Normal takeoff and landing resumed Thursday morning. 

Netizens complained that a slew of flights were not able to take off or land at Tianjin Binhai International Airport around 8 pm on Wednesday evening. 

The airport announced around 7:33 pm that takeoffs and landings were affected due to the public safety concerns caused by drone. In response, the airport promptly activated its yellow-level large-scale flight delay emergency response plan and actively coordinated with airlines and quickly mobilized resources to properly transport and accommodate stranded passengers. Travelers were advised to monitor flight updates and adjust their plans accordingly. 

All the flights departing from and arriving at the airport stopped taking off or landing from around 7:40 pm on Wednesday, according to Red Star News. 

Many netizens complained about the inconvenience caused by the incident including a plane which circled the airport 13 times before finally diverting to Beijing, The New Times reported on Thursday.

A female passenger surnamed Li traveling from Urumqi in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to Tianjin on Wednesday was scheduled to land at the Tianjin airport around 9 pm. However, just before landing, she was informed that the plane had to divert to Beijing Daxing International Airport.

Flights arriving at and departing from the airport resumed normal takeoff and landing around 6:10 am on Thursday. 

The obstacle clearance of an airport is a fundamental condition to ensure the safety of aircraft. According to China’s Civil Aviation Law, it is prohibited to release objects that could affect flight safety within the legally defined boundaries of civil airports and the airport clearance protection zones stipulated by national regulations. For illegal and unauthorized flights, public security authorities will impose penalties in accordance with relevant laws and regulations. If a crime is committed, criminal responsibility will be pursued according to the law.

Global Times