A road in Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, is littered with fallen trees after Typhoon Bavi made landfall, July 12, 2026.

Thunderstorms caused by Typhoon Bavi have caused causes major travel disruptions in China, with widespread flight cancellations. Hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed, affecting travel through Nanjing, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Shenyang, Dalian, Chengdu and other cities.

As of 8 pm on Saturday, Chinese airlines planned to cancel more than 2,800 inbound and outbound flights scheduled for Sunday, according to travel analytics platform Umetrip, which also advised passengers to monitor weather conditions and flight updates and adjust their travel plans accordingly.

Beijing Capital International Airport and Beijing Daxing International Airport, two major air transport hubs in northern China, also experienced widespread delays on Saturday due to rainstorms, Umetrip said.

Typhoon Bavi, the ninth typhoon of the year, landed on East China's Zhejiang Province at around 11:20 pm on Saturday, according to the Zhejiang provincial meteorological observatory.

The typhoon has brought torrential rains to vast swathes of southern and eastern China from Saturday, and weather forecasters predict that more downpours are expected in some locations on Sunday.

Forty-five airports, including those in Shanghai, Hangzhou and Changzhou in East China's Jiangsu Province, issued thunderstorm alerts, Umetrip said.

Airports in Southeast China's Fujian Province, Zhejiang, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and South China's Hainan Province reported large-scale flight cancellations. 

Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport were expected to see reduced operational capacity on Sunday due to Typhoon Bavi, with nearly 30 percent of their inbound and outbound flights likely to be cancelled, China Media Group reported on Sunday. The two airports planned to cancel 653 inbound and outbound flights, including 458 at Pudong airport and 195 at Hongqiao airport, CMG said.

Rail services were also affected, with railway authorities in several regions suspending high-speed train operations on some routes.

According to an official announcement issued on Saturday by the management authority of Hangzhou West Railway Station, all train services at the station were temporarily suspended on Sunday as railway authorities adjusted operations to ensure passenger safety.

China Railway Nanchang Group said that some passenger trains operating on routes through Jiangxi and Fujian provinces would be suspended on Sunday, according to a report by the People’s Daily on Saturday.

With China entering the annual peak summer travel season, the China Meteorological Administration warned that strong winds and heavy rainfall could disrupt transportation, tourism, agricultural production and urban operations, urging provinces to take precautionary measures to ensure personnel safety and asset security. 

The administration also advised the public to closely monitor short-term weather forecasts and avoid unnecessary travel.

Global Times