CLAIM: There was no flight movement over China as more than 9,000 flights were canceled across the country in a single day last week.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. While flight tracking estimates show that thousands of flights were canceled last Wednesday, this remains consistent with the high cancelation rates the country has experienced amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to air traffic analysts. Thousands of flights still proceeded as scheduled, and multiple experts told The Associated Press that last week’s air patterns in China were not unusual.
THE FACTS: As baseless claims of a military coup in China spread online over the weekend, social media users asserted that air traffic data showing more than 9,000 flights canceled across the country on a single day last week was proof that planes were being grounded amid turmoil in the country.
“Absolutely no flight movement over China,” wrote one Twitter user on Saturday, while posting an image of the global flight tracking service FlightRadar24 that showed a handful of planes crossing the country.
Others claimed that about 9,500 flights were canceled across China last Wednesday, accounting for nearly 60% of flights that day.
But experts say these numbers, as well as some images from flight tracking services, are being presented out of context.
Ian Petchenik, director of communications for FlightRadar24, said the images appearing to capture the service’s dashboard over the weekend — showing the airspace nearly empty over China...
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