A car crash at Shenzhen’s Bao’an International Airport has killed nine people and injured at least another 23. The accident occurred after a red Mercedez-Benz veered off the road and crashed into a nearby overpass.

Although not designed for it, the overpass was popular among pedestrians watching planes take-off. Five people were killed immediately, and another two were pronounced dead at hospital. The driver, a 24 year-old said to be from Chongqing, is in intensive care.

The driver was apparently startled by honking horns and over-steered into the overpass, according to the driver’s boyfriend who was in the vehicle. One witness, a taxi driver named Yang, said the crash was so forceful that “a row of people were blown off the ground” and called the scene one of the scariest things he’s ever seen in his life.

Pedestrians are actually banned from the overpass, and airport security typically patrols the area to disperse them on a daily basis. Witnesses reported that there were no signs, or other markers, indicating that the area was off-limits.

The post Car Veers Off The Road at Shenzhen Airport, Killing 9 Pedestrians appeared first on The Nanfang.

UPDATE: A video of this incident is now posted at the end of this post.

***

A series of photos on Weibo reportedly show Soho CEO Pan Shiyi striking a Shenzhen Airlines worker during an altercation despite Pan’s claims to the contrary.

The incident occurred yesterday afternoon (June 12) at Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport and was first reported by Weibo user 我是西蒙周. That’s the authenticated account belonging to Zhou Gang, the chief editor of the Hong Kong Business Report.

The photos show a man standing next to a counter speaking to an airline worker when she suddenly grabs her face with a shocked expression. Zhou emphasizes that the strike was completely accidental.

READ: Air Rage Reaching All New Levels in China as
Gate Agent Beaten in Guangzhou

In his Weibo post at 4:57pm, Zhou states that Pan was flying aboard flight ZH1314 when it suffered a malfunction and landed prematurely in Shenzhen. At the airport, Pan wanted to change to flight ZH9821, so had an assistant make the arrangements and didn’t personally go to the security checkpoint. Since Pan’s boarding pass did not have a security stamp, he wasn’t be allowed on board the flight.

Zhou says an altercation took place between Pan and the airline worker because he was denied boarding. When Pan tried to take a picture of the woman, he accidentally hit her when taking out his camera. The post ends by saying Zhou hit the woman’s mouth with such force she began bleeding.

READ: Airport Meltdown: Woman Insults Locals Says
She Can Shut Down the Internet

Pan also posted to his Weibo earilier in the day to corroborate many of these details, including the fact that he was not allowed to board a flight. However, Pan said last night in a Weibo post that he never hit the woman.

The most recent development to this story is that while Shenzhen Airlines first confirmed the incident took place, it recently issued a statement to the Legal Brief Evening Report saying no dispute took place between Pan and the Shenzhen Airline worker. At the same time, Shenzhen Airlines confirms that Pan did not have a security stamp on his ticket, and therefore was not allowed to board the plane.

UPDATE 7:12pm June 13: Here is a video of the incident from Sina:

Related:

• Shenzhen Airport Fined RMB 200,000, Ordered to Halt Expansion Project
• Naked Guy Gets Loose on Airport Runway, Forcing Flights to Be Halted
• Watch: Comically Incompetent Cargo Handler At Guangzhou Airport

Photo: Morning News Report.

h/t @MissXQ

The post Soho CEO Pan Shiyi Denies Striking Airline Attendant as Photos Go Viral [UPDATED] appeared first on The Nanfang.

Li Ruru was sold to the Weng family that lived in Putian, Fujian, and became their daughter. The family had wanted a daughter to complement the two boys in the family. At eight or nine, Weng was told she was adopted, but it wasn’t until she reached 30 that she decided to look for her birth family.

Then, on May 9 of this year, a positive match was made in a national DNA database for missing and abducted children. It was confirmed that she was the missing daughter of parents Li Mianquan and Cai Juanjuan, born in April, 1984, and their only child.

At 1:20pm yesterday at Shenzhen Bao’an Airport and with dozens of spectators looking on, Mrs Cai and Weng met, grabbed each others’ waists, hugged, and wiped away the tears. The first thing Mrs Cai said to Weng was,

Child, is it really you?

Mrs Cai had brought along her most valuable possession after the kidnapping. For 25 years, Mrs Cai treasured the few and simple photographs that she still possessed of her young daughter. Yellowed with age and protected in laminate, Mrs Cai said that these photographs are what helped her remember her stolen child during all these years.

But now what? We’re reminded of this by the highest-rated comment on the Sohu news report with 4582 upvotes:

浮生如梦1260在搜狐:
Reuniting with one’s own family is worth celebrating. But I hope you won’t forget about your adoptive family. They took you from the traffickers and brought you home to raise ever since you were four years old. Raising and making you part of the family is not easy.

Mrs Cai knows this. While it was the illegal act of human trafficking that landed Li Ruru into the Weng family, 30 year-old Weng is not her daughter by law. As Mrs Cai said herself, she would respect whatever decision Weng may make regarding her choice to take care of either her adoptive or natural parents in their old age.

We’re happy to see mother and child reunited again, and as we said, a bold move.

Photos: Guangzhou Police via Weibo, Sohu

The post Shenzhen Woman in Emotional Reunion with Mother 25 Years After Abduction appeared first on The Nanfang.

The kiosks, image courtesy of Future Travel Experience

Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport has installed 35 self-service kiosks in the recently opened Terminal 3 in an effort to speed up the check-in process, Future Travel Experience reports. Passengers can use the kiosks to check-in, print their boarding pass, check flight information and apply for loyalty membership.

The kiosks are the NCR Touchport, which is also used by bus, rail, cruise lines and car rental agencies.

NCR Travel’s Pedro Carrasco said: “Our self-service check-in solution offers Shenzhen Bao’an International passengers the opportunity to bypass traditional check-in and reduce the time they might spend in line.

“It’s our first opportunity to demonstrate how NCR technology solutions can enhance the travel experience at Shenzhen Bao’an and we look forward to exceeding their expectations.”

The terminal, which opened late last year, has had mixed fortunes. Initially, its futuristic design made headlines around the world. But it then suffered water leaks just a few weeks after opening.

The post Shenzhen Bao’an Airport speeds up check-in with new self-service kiosks appeared first on The Nanfang.

The paper has more:

Unhappy travellers took to China’s social media platform to complain on Sunday night, blaming the thousands of hexagonal skylight windows on the ceiling of the departure lounge. They said they not only brought in sunshine, but also the rain.

“What is this ‘honeycomb’ for? Thank God it’s not the typhoon season. Hours of raining have already created quite a few leaks,” a passenger from Shenzhen posted on Monday morning.

Not so state of the art after all, image courtesy of Sina Weibo

Studio Fuksas, the Italian company that designed it, that there had been leaking problems during the testing process, but they had been solved.

Hong Kong newspaper Wen Wei Po reported that leaking also happened in the parking lot and bus terminals. The leaking and poor working environment have even caused strikes at the air cargo department which have been causing delays since Sunday night.

The post Shenzhen’s brand new airport already leaking appeared first on The Nanfang.

The airport will close at 10 p.m. on November 27 as final preparations are made for the opening of the new terminal which will be more than twice the size of terminals A and B combined.

Metro Line 11, the future airport express line, couldn’t be finished in time for the opening of the new terminal.

Metro riders who take the Luobao Line to the airport will need to take free shuttle buses to the terminal’s General Transportation Center after they get off the Metro at Airport East Station. The shuttle trip takes about 30 minutes, airport authorities said.

The new terminal’s Wi-Fi system will be able to handle simultaneous use by up to 3,000 people.

Here are some images of the new terminal, courtesy of Gizmodo:

The interior of the terminal, which was designed by Italian company Fuksas

The gateway is designed to look like a manta ray and stretches for almost 1.5 km.

Natural light pierces through the honeycomb design on the roof

The supporting columns of the interior are designed to give the place the feel of a cathedral

The post Check out these photos of Shenzhen’s futuristic new airport terminal appeared first on The Nanfang.

Courtesy of Southern Metropolis Daily

Unlike previous bomb threats made by phone, the caller did not specify the flight numbers of the planes targeted, which complicated things even further. On the night of the chaos, media reported that a suspect had been arrested, but airport security later said they hadn’t yet found a suspect.

The first such threat came at 3 p.m. when a threat was made on flights going from Guangzhou to Shanghai. Because no specific flight number had been given, one flight had to divert to Fuzhou, and another had to return to Guangzhou Baiyun airport.

The chaos continued and mostly involved flights from Chongqing and Guangzhou to a variety of cities, including Shenzhen. Four airlines were affected.

Planes were searched for bombs, but none were found.

Whoever does get caught is in big trouble. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, spreading false terrorist information brings a minimum five year sentence, in accordance with the provisions of section 291 of the Penal Code. If the consequences of this unfunny practical joke prove to be “serious,” then he or she could face a 15 year sentence.

The post Guangzhou, Shenzhen airports affected as 10 bomb hoaxes cause flight chaos appeared first on The Nanfang.

A new coast-to-coast high-speed rail link shuttling passengers between Shenzhen and Xiamen in Fujian province in just three hours will launch this coming September.

The new 20-stop route will skirt along several major cities along the way, including Huizhou. The line will be a big boost to for travellers.  Shenzhen is a go-to destination for business while Xiamen is popular for its sandy beaches and surrounding views. It’s often seen as an alternative to the hotspot of Hainan Island.

All of this will be possible when trains begin departing from Shenzhen North Station, slashing the existing train time from a whopping 15 hours.

Life of Guangzhou believes the price of a first class ticket between Shenzhen North and Xiamen will be 190 yuan and a standard class fare will be 160 yuan one-way.

In the battle for passengers between airlines and railways (as we reported a few days ago), this new front will put pressure on Shenzhen Airlines, Hainan Airlines, China Southern and it’s subsidiary Xiamen Air, who all fly out of Bao’an Airport. Prices could well be set for a downward trend.

The latest check on September one-way airfares with eLong.com show tickets selling for 550 yuan before taxes and other fees.

Here is the station list calling at:
Guangdong province (广东省)
Shenzhen North (圳北站) – Pingshan (坪山) – Huizhou South (惠南)- Huizhou East (惠东) – Houmen (鲘门) – Shanwei (汕尾) – Lufeng (陆丰) – Kuitan (葵潭) – Puning (普宁) – Chaoyang (潮阳) – Chaoshan (潮汕) – Raoping (饶平)

Fujian province (福建省)
Zhaoan (诏安) – Yunxiao (云霄) – Zhangpu (漳浦) – Yangkui (杨奎) – Zhangzhou South (漳州南) – Jiaomei (角美) – Qianchang (前场) – Xiamen North (厦门北).

Station list: Life of Guangzhou

Image: Danny Lee

The post Train arriving soon: Shenzhen to Xiamen’s sandy beaches in just 3 hours appeared first on The Nanfang.

Stars align for Shenzhen Airlines
Shenzhen Airlines, China’s fourth largest carrier, has been handed a “win-win” boost after being accepted into one of global aviation ‘big three’ alliances.

The move opens up more of the Pearl River Delta as passengers fly to and from China and beyond.

Following parent company Air China, the southern China-based carrier joins Star Alliance, bringing more than 400 flights and 70 destinations to the network.

As reported by WCARN.com, Star CEO Mark Schwab said:

Shenzhen Airlines is China’s fifth largest carrier and strengthens the Star Alliance presence in China and across Asia. Our customers now benefit from improved access throughout the economically important Pearl River Delta and across southern China. At the same time, Shenzhen Airlines gains access to a global network with enhanced benefits for its passengers; truly a win-win situation.

This is good news for the legions of international travelers based in Shenzhen, as the can earn frequent flier miles more easily and reach more destinations with less hassle.

The move also brings Shenzhen in line with the rest of the PRD airports. China Southern and SkyTeam have an iron grip on Guangzhou Baiyun while Cathay Pacific and the Oneworld alliance dominate Hong Kong.

Beijing to seize control of Cathay?
CAPA has a must-read piece on the future ownership of Cathay Pacific. Could Swire, its largest shareholder, be prepared to sell its holding – at the right price – to Air China, which already owns 29.9% of Hong Kong’s flagship carrier?

Here’s what CAPA has to say:

An Air China takeover would be deeply political, and is seemingly not a question of if but when, how and what the competitive response is. Cathay expects Air China’s stake to increase, but Cathay’s board 
must first approve a takeover, which is not expected in the short term. The mood from Swire, Cathay’s largest shareholder (42%) and source 
of senior management – and almost its entire culture – is a firm commitment to Cathay and aviation in greater China but also seems to be that it will sell, but for a premium. As for accepting a takeover, the time may come when Cathay and Swire know that not cooperating with Beijing will yield unfavourable outcomes, as Hong Kong edges closer to becoming more fully a part of China.

It has to be said any takeover bid would be deeply controversial and stoke growing anti-mainland sentiment in the SAR.

Nevertheless, within the ‘big three’ alliances shaking-up their offerings at the moment, a takeover could lead to wider changes in the Delta.

The post Shenzhen Airlines’ ‘Star’ turn, Beijing to seize control of Cathay? appeared first on The Nanfang.

Airline Route is reporting services from Changchun, Dalian, Guangzhou, Harbin and Shenyang are being reduced, affecting flights to Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Nagoya, Niigata, Osaka Kansai, Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo Narita and Toyama.

Dalian is the worst hit, losing 14 flights.

The Centre for Aviation (CAPA) revealed one-way seat capacity between China and Japan has fallen to its lowest level since 2004. Capacity for October was down 9 per cent year-on-year.

Other plans to boost capacity have also been shelved, affecting the second daily Guangzhou-Osaka Kansai service.

The 174-seat Airbus A321 will continue to serve the route, replacing the 374-seat Boeing 777-200 for the time being, representing a near 110% cut in seat availability. CSA has also removed 120 seats from its daily Guangzhou-Tokyo Narita service, replacing its Airbus A330-200 with a Boeing 737-800.

Airspace reform urged
The Comprehensive Transport Institute is calling for reform of China’s airspace and expanding its use for civilian aviation.

The group is warning congestion will come to a head once Guangzhou’s new runway opens, combined with a third runway being considered in Hong Kong.

China Daily carry this self-evident line describing the situation:

The region’s sky has been so severely congested that the International Air Transport Association has said that the situation in the Pearl River Delta is one of the top three global air traffic control problems.

With more flights connecting six PRD airports (Foshan, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen, Zhuhai) to the rest of Asia and the world, experts are questioning how much more the region can take with such little approved airspace available.

Passenger improvements for Baiyun Airport
Life of Guangzhou is reporting airport management at Baiyun Airport will invest RMB4 million into passenger improvements at Baiyun Airport.

Some ideas include a smartphone app for better on-the-move information in the hands of passengers.

The post Diaoyu dispute forces Chinese airlines to cut service to Japan appeared first on The Nanfang.