In the small hours of 12 July, Shanghai’s two international airports — Pudong (PVG) and Hongqiao (SHA) — announced the cancellation of 653 arrivals and departures, roughly 30 per cent of the day’s schedule. The Civil Aviation Administration of China coordinated the reductions after forecasting cross-winds exceeding operational limits as Typhoon Bavi approached. China Eastern, Spring Airlines and Juneyao issued blanket rebooking and refund waivers, while international carriers including Air France-KLM and United Airlines diverted wide-body aircraft to alternate hubs in Seoul and Guangzhou. Cargo operators reported overnight delays for high-tech and perishables moving through Pudong’s bonded zone, the busiest air-freight gateway on the mainland. Rail and metro links to both airports ran skeleton timetables, and ride-hailing platforms experienced surge pricing as road traffic faced water-logging. The Shanghai Municipal Transport Commission deployed extra English-language volunteers in terminal buildings to help stranded foreigners after lessons learned from Typhoon In-Fa (2025).
![Shanghai Pudong and Hongqiao Cancel 653 Flights as Storm Sweeps Through]()
Amid such weather-related uncertainties, travelers without the right documentation can find their plans doubly complicated. VisaHQ’s online platform streamlines Chinese visa applications, offers courier passport collection, and provides real-time status updates, ensuring that once flights resume, paperwork is never the reason you miss your connection.
Employers with assignees in Shanghai were advised to update contact trees and remind staff that storm-related absence does not affect China’s new social-insurance reporting rules. For mobility planners, the episode highlights the value of flexible ticketing classes, China-based travel-management companies that can re-issue domestic e-tickets in real time, and WeChat subscription feeds from the airports for live gate alerts. With the city hosting major trade fairs from late July onward, forward bookings should include buffer days until the regional backlog clears.
Amid such weather-related uncertainties, travelers without the right documentation can find their plans doubly complicated. VisaHQ’s online platform streamlines Chinese visa applications, offers courier passport collection, and provides real-time status updates, ensuring that once flights resume, paperwork is never the reason you miss your connection.
Employers with assignees in Shanghai were advised to update contact trees and remind staff that storm-related absence does not affect China’s new social-insurance reporting rules. For mobility planners, the episode highlights the value of flexible ticketing classes, China-based travel-management companies that can re-issue domestic e-tickets in real time, and WeChat subscription feeds from the airports for live gate alerts. With the city hosting major trade fairs from late July onward, forward bookings should include buffer days until the regional backlog clears.
