China's aviation watchdog probes runway protests

China's civil aviation administration is investigating recent incidents in which airline passengers rushed onto the tarmac at two airports in protest over flight delays, official media said on Monday. The Civil Aviation Administration urged airports to do a better job of handling flight delays, especially given the likelihood of more disruptions due to stormy spring weather, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. CAA officials referred reporters to the Xinhua report, saying there was no other official announcement of the probe. On April 11, 28 passengers of a Shenzhen Airlines flight interfered with the landing of another flight at Shanghai's Pudong International Airport when they rushed onto the tarmac. Nobody was injured, and the passengers returned to the boarding gate area after being promised CNY 1,000 (USD 160) in compensation for the delays caused by thunderstorms. The report said a similar incursion occurred on Friday at the Baiyun Airport in the southern city of Guangzhou after flights were delayed by heavy rains.