Hundreds of flights cancelled in Beijing due to smog
The number of cancelled flights at the international airport in Beijing has reached 256 due to high smog levels, local media reported on Tuesday.
A further 273 flights have been delayed, as visibility at the airport is below 200 meters, China National Radio (CNR) reported.
As of 15:00 local time (07:00 GMT), 2.5PM particle concentration levels had reached 451 micrograms per cubic meter. The safe level guideline, recommended by the World Health Organization, is 25 micrograms per cubic meter.
On Thursday, Beijing authorities announced red smog alert, the utmost warning level for air pollution in China, from December 16 to 21. The authorities cut the amount of cars on the road in half and temporarily closed kindergartens, primary schools, factories and construction sites in the capital. Red alert regime was also established in 23 other cities across north and central China.
In 2013, China introduced a four-tier air pollution warning system, according to which, a red alert is issued when heavy smog lasts for more than three days, an orange alert for three days of smog, a yellow for two, and a blue for one.
China's extended use of coal for power generation, paired with the large amount of cars, dust storms and construction dust, has caused Beijing, as well as other Chinese cities, to suffer from heavy air pollution.