Pedestrians brave the rain yesterday in downtown Shanghai. [Photo/Shanghai Daily]

Some 140 flights were canceled and about 200 delayed at Shanghai's Pudong and Hongqiao international airports yesterday due to torrential rain and thunderstorms.

The Air Traffic Management Bureau issued a massive flight delay yellow alert, the lowest of its three-tier alert system, around noon.

It said flying capacity would be reduced by 30 percent at the two airports between noon and 8pm due to the weather.

The Hongqiao airport was worse affected, with more than 80 flights canceled and about 100 delayed. Some 30 flights were delayed for over four hours, the Shanghai Airport Authority said.

"Flights at Hongqiao airport are not only affected by the rain and thunder over Shanghai but a rainstorm near Guangzhou that made the flight delays more severe," said Yan Shuming, a manager with China Eastern Airlines at Hongqiao.

Six flights to the Hongqiao airport had to divert to the Pudong airport, while another four were sent to airports at neighboring cities.

Large number of passengers were still stranded at the Hongqiao airport last night, with long queues at airline desks as many chose to change their flights.

Pudong airport was hit by thunderstorms after 6 p.m. Some 13 flights were diverted to airports in neighboring cities and around 20 flights were delayed for more than four hours, said officials.

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