Beijing airport to launch emergency alert mechanism for Olympics

Updated：2007-06-25 From：Xinhuanet

BEIJING, June 24 (Xinhua) -- 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.

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.