Beijing will close its two airports for three hours next month while it holds a huge parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war, state media have reported.
Restrictions on airspace above the capital also came into effect yesterday while the air force practises its formations ahead of the mainland's biggest military display in its modern history.
No commercial traffic will be allowed at Beijing Capital International Airport or the smaller Nanyuan Airport between 9.30am and 12.30pm on September 3, Xinhua reported.
Many airlines had already cancelled flights scheduled during that window, but passengers were warned to expect hectic travel throughout the day, as many charter flights would also be using the airports, Xinhua reported. It wasn't immediately clear how many flights will be affected, but the Capital Airport handles more than 1,500 flights a day while Nanyuan handles more than 100.
The military parade will begin in the morning and run through Tiananmen Square, but few details about its scope have been given. Displays of advanced military hardware from all the main PLA branches are expected.
The air force held a rehearsal drill involving 189 planes and helicopters in Tongzhou district last month, and further exercises are likely ahead of the parade.
To give them room, new restrictions covering altitude had been put in place and would remain until after the event was over, Xinhua said, citing the Air Traffic Management Bureau of Civil Aviation Administration of China. The bureau will set up eight airspace waiting areas near the capital and airports in Beijing and nearby Tianjin will not be available for diverted aircraft.
Helicopters, gliders, motorised paragliders and hot-air balloons are banned from flying over the capital between August 22 and September 4.
The mainland's airspace is controlled by the State Council and Central Military Committee and only about 34 per cent is allocated for civil flights, according to a report in 2013.
Beijing imposed the same airspace restriction for the National Day parade in 2009. According to a Xinhua report at the time, all scheduled flights landed on time, despite the foggy conditions, with the last coming at 9.01am and the first after the ban was lifted leaving at 12.31pm. A record 90 flights departed from the airport in the last hour before closure.
Beijing has declared September 3 "Victory Day" to mark Japan's surrender and made it a one-off public holiday. The next two days will also be public holidays, and schools will open no earlier than September 7.