More than 1,200 flights across the country have been delayed due to sandstorms that started on March 26, according to information from the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

The sandstorms, which caused visibility in some places to fall to 100 meters, have affected about 70 million people in 11 provinces and autonomous regions.

Beijing Capital Airport, which had more than 150 delayed flights, have been crowded with disgruntled passengers over the past few days, many of whom were very angry about the unexpected disorder.

The delays brought many complaints to the air traffic control departments from passengers, who said authorities should take some preventive measures to reduce the disorder.

"It took me four hours to get from Wuhan to Beijing, which usually takes less than two hours. Now I have to wait for the next flight to my hometown to see my sick father, but nobody knows the exact departure time," Wang Weiming told a reporter at the Beijing Capital Airport on Monday.

Because he knew the coming sandstorm might affect his flight, Li Zhigang bought his ticket only after he was reassured the flight would not be changed. But when he arrived at the airport he found his flight was canceled because of the sandstorm.

"The weathermen had predicted the sandstorm four days before, so why didn't the air traffic control departments modify the flight plan before it came?" asked Li.

Airlines also expressed complaints about the disorder. "We lose 600 yuan (US$72) per minute if the plane has to wait in the air," said a manager of China Eastern Airlines.

Because most planes have special advanced equipment to take off and land in very low visibility, common inclement weather like fog, rain and snow rarely disturbs departures and landings. But a sandstorm with strong winds can seriously threaten the flight's safety.

Any change of scheduled flights will involve airlines, airports and air control departments, therefore, it is difficult to change flights according to forecasts, said Sun Xiaoyi, manager of Beijing Capital Airport.

(Xinhua News Agency April 1, 2004)