Winter snowstorms affecting some 230 flights have stranded some 10,000 passengers at the airport serving the capital of Henan Province. The Xinzheng Airport in Zhengzhou was closed after snow forced the cancellation of 116 flights, while another 121 flights were delayed. The airport has since re-opened.

A red alert had been issued for severe weather in the region after snow began falling Monday night.

The winter storms have caused havoc on transportation throughout the region including trains and buses.

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Before take off, the pilot of flight CA4401 to Lhasa was instructed by air traffic control to turn 330 degrees to the left after takeoff. The pilot did not confirm the order on receiving it, and instead turned 330 degrees to the right once he was in the air.

The mistake was immediately recognized by the pilots and, after notifying the tower, changed direction and eventually resumed its proper flight path.

An unidentified employee of Air China Southwest confirmed the incident to Thepaper.cn.

This past May, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) punished five airlines for causing a number of near-misses due to “pilot error“.

In May 2015, Transaero flight UN8888 to Moscow lost its way after taking off from Beijing Airport, straying into the low airspace of residential areas. A netizen living near Huawei Bridge said they were woken up by the deafening sound of an airplane.

Just last week, a near-miss occurred at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport when two different planes, one taking off and the other landing, occupied the same runway.

The pilot of a China Eastern Airbus A320 performed an emergency liftoff as it barrelled down the runway towards a China Eastern A330, which was taxiing across the runway. The two jets were separated by 20 meters as the A320 flew over the A330. A preliminary investigation by the CAAC determined that errors made by the airport’s air traffic controllers were responsible for the near-miss.

China’s air traffic controllers have previously been under fire for speaking in Mandarin Chinese instead of the standard English, as well as falling asleep while on the job.

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The Ministry of Environment Protection banned the use of x-ray scanners at the airport earlier this week, announcing that all “makers, sellers and users of x-ray body scanners should acquire official approval to ensure public safety.”

Further use of the scanners at Chinese security checkpoints are unlikely as the ministry also said that “large-scale use of radiation equipment among the public is prohibited.”

Public outcry over the use of x-ray scanners at the airport preceded the ban. Citizens have complained that the airport did not post any signs warning the public about potential health risks.

The West China Metropolis Daily reported Wednesday that x-ray scanners were still in use at the Chengdu East Railway Station. The paper noted that children, pregnant women and elderly passengers were warned by a notice not to go through the scanner, and were instead searched by a security guard.

The manufacturer of the scanner previously claimed its products were the result of joint efforts by scientists at China’s leading research institutes and experts from the Ministry of Public Security.

X-ray machines are commonly used at security checkpoints throughout China, but its use is restricted to checking items and luggage.

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Around noon on Tuesday, China Eastern flight MU5643 to Tianjin was in the process of taking off when another China Eastern flight that just landed began to cross the runway. The pilot of the plane taking off decided to go for it anyway, and managed to get off the ground before colliding with the plane on the runway.

A preliminary investigation by the Civil Aviation Administration of China has blamed the near miss on the airport’s air traffic controllers.

China’s ATC have been criticized a number of times over the years for speaking in Mandarin Chinese instead of the standardized English as well as falling asleep while on the job.

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The airport’s design was revealed last week by Zhu Wenxin of the airport’s construction team. Measuring 1,144 meters in length from east to west, and 996 meters from north to south, the six-pointed, starfish-shaped airport will serve as a transportation hub that includes facilities for air travel, high-speed rail, subway, buses, expressways, and an inter-airport transportation system.

The airport will serve passengers with 78 gates over two floors, the top designated for international flights and the bottom for domestic. The airport will feature five airside concourses, one central hall and a hotel.

A rapid transit line will connect the new airport with Beijing South Railway Station, allowing passengers to travel between the two destinations in just 30 minutes.

Passengers arriving by train will enter the airport from below, through the 340 square meter transport center. Instead of going through the above domestic arrival hall, they can enter the airport through the transport center’s security checkpoint.

A 13,000 square meter commercial district will be built at the center of the six arms of the “starfish” construct.

All flights from Beijing Nanyuan Airport will be diverted to this new airport, which has yet to be officially named.

The new Beijing Airport is 46 kilometers south of the capital, further than the current Beijing Capital International Airport in the northeast.

This past August, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) announced that China Eastern and China Southern Airlines would relocate from Beijing Capital International Airport to the new airport where they would exclusively offer their services.

Citing a rise in air travel which saw Chinese take 4 billion domestic trips and over 100 million international trips last year, the CAAC plans to not only increase the number of airports but also the number of domestic and international routes.

Guangzhou Baiyun Airport is expected to open a new passenger terminal and transportation center with a rapid transit link in 2018. Meanwhile, Chengdu has scaled back plans for its $11 billion airport.

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The international airport has widened its self-service entry inspection channels to accept foreigners holding electronic passports, so long as they have residence permits for six months or longer.

Similar to the system introduced in Hong Kong and Macao in 2010, the automated immigration inspection station has users provide their information in a two-tier checkpoint system. After successfully having their passports scanned, users walk past the first gate into a second area where their fingerprints and faces are scanned. They can pass through the airport’s immigration inspection station in just ten seconds.

The 27 self-service entry inspection channels can process up to 7,000 travellers per day, up from 3,000 last year.

Previously, only registered flight crew members and foreigners holding permanent Chinese residence permits were allowed to use the automated system.

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Other international airlines that will move to new Beijing airport include Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Korean Air, and other SkyTeam Alliance members.

Air China will not be moving its services, along with other Star Alliance partners including United Airlines, Air Canada, Singapore Airlines and Japanese airline ANA.

The new Beijing airport, which will also serve nearby Tianjin and parts of Hebei, is located in Daxing District, 50 kilometers south of the city center. Experts say airliners will likely offer discounted rates in order to attract customers to the new airport.

Accounting for 40 percent of its expected traffic, the new airport’s main carriers, China Eastern and China Southern Airlines, will be given preferential treatment with regard to flight routes and ground services, said the CAAC.

US aviation magazine, Air Transport World, named Air China as the big winner in the relocation. China Travel News cited an unidentified analyst who holds the same view:

“Contrary to the three major airports New York and the five major airports in London that allocate airlines bases according to market environment, Beijing’s strategy of allocating airlines to the  two international airports based on airline alliance groups is good for passenger transfer. Air China is apparently the biggest winner as it can maintain its base in Beijing Capital Airport, whereas China’s Eastern’s move to the new airport will deal a blow to the carrier’s flagship Beijing-Shanghai service.”

The Beijing new airport will cost an estimated 80 billion yuan and process 100 million passengers annually.

China’s commercial aviation industry is limited by the number of flight paths available to them, often resulting in delays. With a whole new airport, airliners can add more flights and launch new routes.

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The flights will be serviced by a 787-8 Boeing aircraft that can accommodate four first class passengers, 18 business class passengers, and 215 passengers in economy.

The 12-hour flights will depart Xiamen every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, and will depart Vancouver every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.

Previously, air passengers had to stop in Beijing or Shanghai, adding anywhere between five to eight hours of extra travel time.

The new route will be bolstered by a 72-hour visa-free stopover program. Air passengers arriving in Xiamen will be allowed visa-free access so long as they have a second destination to fly to within the three-day span.

“We’re delighted to welcome Xiamen Airlines as our fifth airline from mainland China,” said Craig Richmond, president and CEO of the Vancouver Airport Authority (YVR).

“It’s no surprise that this very successful airline chose YVR as its first North American destination — our city has close ties with Fujian Province, while our northwest location and world-class facility make YVR the best gateway to North America for any Asian airline.”

The new direct flight will add 158 new jobs to the British Columbia economy and C$9 million ($6.84 million) in gross domestic product for the province.

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A passenger on the flight told Xinhua that smoke appeared in the cabin 30 minutes after take-off from Sunan International Airport. Although oxygen masks were deployed, the passenger said people had trouble breathing from all the smoke. The flight landed in Shenyang 10 minutes later.

The flight landed safely with its 60 passengers and 15 crew members. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire is not known.

The aircraft is a class #204, Soviet-era plane made by Russian manufacturer, Tupolev. Founded in 1950 in collaboration with the former USSR, Air Koryo’s fleet of airplanes date from the same time period.

Last month, Air Koryo began operating a direct flight between North Korean capital, Pyongyang, and Jinan, Shandong. The world’s only one-star airline also offers flights to Beijing and Shanghai.

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The Civil Aviation Administration of China has fined the Shanghai Airport Authority 80,000 yuan ($11,963) after a stowaway was able to sneak on board a flight without getting detected until reaching his destination.

Xu Xiaojun, 16, sneaked into the cargo hold of Emirates flight EK303 on May 26. He was arrested once the flight landed nine hours later and was sent back to China.

Xu made headlines at the time by revealing he wanted to go to Dubai in order to make his fortune as a beggar.

In addition to the fine, Pudong Airport has been banned from applying for any new, extra or charter flights.

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