Airports handling intl flight arrivals to Beijing rise from 12 to 16

China will continue to divert all international flights due to arrive in Beijing to other airports as their first port of entry, with the list of other airports expanding from 12 to 16, China's top aviation regulator said Monday.

According to a notice issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, starting from Monday, Shanghai, which used to handle diverted flights bound for the capital, stopped serving as the first port of entry, with Chengdu, Changsha, Hefei and Lanzhou added to the list, the administration said.

Wuhan in Central China's Hubei province also will serve as the first back-up city to receive international arrivals, the administration said.

Since March 23, all international flights bound for Beijing have been required to be diverted to 12 designated airports, namely in Tianjin, Hohhot, Taiyuan, Shanghai Pudong, Shijiazhuang, Jinan, Qingdao, Nanjing, Shenyang, Dalian, Zhengzhou, and Xi'an for testing procedures before they are allowed to enter Beijing and beyond.

With the adjustment effective on Monday, all incoming international flights to Beijing will land at one of 16 airports, where passengers will be screened. Passengers who are cleared would then be permitted to reboard the plane, which will take them on to Beijing, it said.

The international flight diversion policy will be further adjusted in line with changes in the epidemic situation at home and abroad, it added.