Beijing, May 5 (IANS): A total of 23 flights to northeast China's Dalian had to be diverted to other airports after a kite was noticed hovering over the city airport.
The kite was spotted around 4.20 p.m. Friday, when the CZ3678 flight of China Southern Airlines was due to land, Xinhua quoted an airline official as saying.
The plane, from Jilin province capital Changchun, circled above the airport for an hour and then diverted to Qingdao airport in Shandong province.
Another 22 flights, including 10 from China Southern, were scheduled to land at Dalian but diverted or returned to their place of departure.
Landings resumed at 9.30 p.m. after the kite, with its string cut off, flew out of the air route. Police failed to track down the kite flyer.