Overpopulation has led to numerous concerns in China, including environmental pollution and traffic congestion. To address the alarming issue of flight delays, China has recently embarked on a project to build 136 new airports.
Due to its large population, transportation systems in China are consistently overloaded. As of 2015, there were 207 operational airports in China, yet this was insufficient to meet the travel demands of its citizens. Frequent flight delays have made Chinese airports a dreaded experience for both domestic and international travelers. Statistics show that in 2016, one-third of the 3.37 million flights were delayed due to inadequate airport capacity or adverse weather conditions. This means that for every three flights departing from China, one was delayed.
Consequently, Chinese airports consistently rank at the bottom of global airport evaluations. According to FlightStats' 2015 survey of 61 airports worldwide, seven Chinese airports received extremely poor ratings.
Flight delays have sparked numerous conflicts between passengers and airlines. In April 2016, a passenger slapped and threw food at a flight attendant out of frustration over a delay. In December, both pilots and passengers staged a protest by playing Jianzi (shuttlecock) on the runway.
Despite their best efforts, airlines have been unable to improve the situation. To address this pressing issue, China is currently constructing several large airports across the country. The new airport in Beijing will have seven runways, capable of handling 100 million passengers annually. Chengdu will also have a new international airport worth 70 billion yuan (approximately 200 trillion VND) with six runways, designed to accommodate 90 million passengers each year.
Fortunately, Vietnam has not yet faced this predicament, although flight delays and late departures still occur.