China Home to World's Most Delayed Air Travel

Ever wonder why Chinese air travellers are gaining a reputation for being so cranky? Maybe it’s because China is home to the world’s worst record for on-time takeoffs and landings.

According to the South China Morning Post, a new study says seven mainland airports have racked up more flight delays than anywhere in the world.

The survey found that only 38 percent of flights left on time from Hangzhou's Xiaoshan Airport last year, and Shanghai was even worse, with just 37 percent from Hongqiao and Pudong leaving on schedule. Those dismal results mean that trio are the worst performing of the 61 largest airports around the globe.

They were followed by Shenzhen Baoan, Guangzhou Baiyun, Chongqing Airport and Beijing Capital International Airport – meaning the survey’s entire lower tier is dominated by Chinese airports.

The study – conducted by FlightStats, a US-based data provider on air travel – added that only 65 percent of all Chinese flights left on schedule in 2014, and said if all those delays were tallied together they would add up to 232 years of delays.

Meanwhile, Japan's Haneda Airport snagged the survey’s top spot, thanks to its 90 percent on-time rate.

Zou Jianjun, from the Civil Aviation Management Institute (CAMI) of China, told the SCMP that the problem is partially due to flight lines being too centralized in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. "Even if a small mistake happens at any of these major airports, it's quite possible that flights in other cities will be affected,” Zou was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, Zou’s counterparts at the Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) recently told Guangzhou's 21st Century Business Herald that "he would like to see a general-purpose aviation airport in each of China's 2,800 counties as this would improve their infrastructure and economies.”

The newly announced plan, slated to wrap up in 2030, sparked speculation about how that expansion would be funded, and whether or not private investors could partake. But current boarding passengers, meanwhile, are instead wondering what will come first – the finished construction of those thousands of new airports, or the arrival of their delayed flights.

Image: Chinasmack