Flights bound for Bangkok cancelled or delayed

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-11-27 08:42

BEIJING -- More than a dozen of flights bound for Bangkok from Chinese cities were cancelled or delayed Wednesday as protesters forced the Thai capital's Suvarnabhumi International Airport to shut down.

The Beijing Capital International Airport said that Air China, the country's national flag carrier, had canceled two flights, one inbound from and the other outbound for the turbulent city.

No information was available for the other five flights operated by Air China and Thai Airways International, which are supposed to leave for Bangkok or arrive here from the city Wednesday or early Thursday morning.

The airport had told passengers these five flights may have been canceled or delayed. Nearly 1,000 people were affected here by the delayed or canceled flights.

Guangzhou and Shanghai, which have flights bound for Bangkok as well, had also canceled four flights each on Wednesday.

Suvarnabhumi International Airport was paralyzed after protesters led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) expanded their action against state agencies to the airport Tuesday evening in a showdown aimed at toppling the government led by premier Somchai Wongsawat.

Thousands of travelers were stranded at Suvarnabhumi airport on Tuesday night after airport officials canceled all flights.