Chinese airlines lowered fuel surcharges on airfares for domestic routes on Sunday.
Under the revised standard, passengers will pay a fuel surcharge of 50 yuan (about 7.35 U.S. dollars) for flights up to 800 km and 100 yuan for longer flights, 30 yuan and 50 yuan lower, respectively, from previous rates.
The fuel surcharge cut was also applied to some international routes, such as some Southeast Asian routes operated by 9 Air and China-ROK flights operated by Juneyao Airlines and Qingdao Airlines.
"The fuel surcharge cut will lower travelers' summer trip costs and boost bookings on domestic and international routes. Driven by airlines' extra summer flights and other factors, this summer's airfares are at a multi-year low," said Shi Ke, researcher of the Big Data Research Institute of Chinese online travel service provider Qunar.
China cuts domestic flight fuel surcharges
A sudden downpour triggered flash floods on Saturday in Jiande City, east China's Zhejiang Province, with authorities at all levels rolling out emergency measures to ensure people's safety.
From 11:00 Saturday to 08:00 Sunday, the average rainfall in Jiande reached 56 millimeters, with 132 monitoring stations recording cumulative rainfall exceeding 50 millimeters. In order to mitigate risks, local authorities organized the overnight evacuation of residents from hazardous areas.
In multiple villages and towns within Yangxi Community, mudslides and other hazardous situations occurred amid the heavy rainfall. Many residential houses collapsed or were damaged, and infrastructure such as rural roads, drinking water, and electricity also sustained varying degrees of damage. Following the disaster, local authorities quickly activated emergency response plans and launched overnight rescue operations. Village officials and police officers carried out door-to-door checks and relocated stranded villagers, finishing the operations before the floodwaters rose further.
"So far, all the villagers are safe. Village cadres came to help immediately and drained the floodwater from our houses," said Hong Xinjun, a villager from Youyi Village.
As of 12:00 on Sunday, a total of 290 people had been evacuated. All have been safely relocated in centralized settlement sites.
Flash floods prompt overnight rescue operations in Zhejiang
