Beijing's Capital International Airport will set up an emergency
alert system for extreme weather and security threats so as to
ensure smooth transportation for millions of visitors from home and
abroad during next summer's Olympic Games.
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A five-color grading system will be used, said Su Langen, senior
official with the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China
(CAAC).
Green indicates normal conditions in which the airport can
predict flight times accurately and an absence of bad weather in
cities where the Games are being held.
Blue is used to indicate an upsurge in flights because of delays
or cancellations, and yellow signals weather difficulties such as
thunderstorms.
Airplanes will be grounded or diverted under extreme weather
orange alert and airports will do their utmost to clear the skies
under red alert for terrorist attacks.
To improve transport efficiency, the administration will
schedule special flights to Olympic Games venues on the mainland --
Beijing, Tianjin, Shenyang, Qingdao and Qinhuangdao.
Beijing is expecting nearly three million domestic and overseas
visitors during the 2008 Olympics, according to projections by the
Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee and Beijing Tourism
Administration.
In May, Chinese armed police began Olympic security training to
deal with the possibility of terrorist attacks and the Beijing
weather bureau has also pledged to improve the accuracy of its
weather forecasts for the Games.
(Xinhua News Agency June 25, 2007)