Over 100 flights canceled as snow sweeps Beijing

BEIJING, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- More than 100 flights were canceled on Sunday by Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA), the world's second-busiest airport by passenger volume, as snow hit China's capital.

Altogether, 115 flights scheduled to depart from or arrive at the airport on Sunday were canceled as of 7 p.m., including 14 international flights, according to flight status information on BCIA's website.

Some of the cancellations were due to foul weather in other cities, as many parts of China were influenced by a new cold snap.

The airport had mobilized more than 800 workers and 230 automobiles to remove ice and snow from planes, runways and parking aprons as of 3 p.m. on Sunday, a BCIA official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

More than 1,500 planes would have flown around 114,000 passengers from the airport on Sunday as planned originally, the official said.

Light to moderate snow and sleet will fall on northeast and north China from Sunday to Tuesday while heavy rain will sweep central and east China, the China Meteorological Administration has forecasted.

BCIA saw passenger volumes grow 4.2 percent year on year in 2012 to reach 81.8 million people, a number second only to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the United States.

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