If you booked a ticket to fly out of Beijing today, we feel for you. Because the intense smog that is currently hovering over the capital is wreaking all kinds of havoc on not only our lungs but our travel plans too.
Beijing has been under its first red alert of the season since Friday. But things got especially bad on Monday night when the AQI reached more than 500 in some parts of the city.
The heavy smog caused hundreds of flights to be delayed in and out of Beijing on Tuesday. As of 11am, 181 flights had been cancelled and hundreds more delayed out of Beijing Capital International Airport due to low visibility, CCTV reports. In Tianjin, 227 flights have been cancelled because of smog.
To make matters worse, numerous travelers have been stranded at Beijing’s airports due to the smog-related delays and cancelations.
The heavy pollution is also having significant impacts on traffic in and around the capital. So far six highways around Beijing have been completely closed. Three more are only allowing drivers to enter, but not exit, the capital.
We hardly have to look at our phones to know that Monday and Tuesday have been two of the worst days we've had in a long time, in terms of air quality. On Monday the PM2.5 level reached over 500 in many places, according to numerous air quality monitoring stations in Beijing. On Tuesday morning the visibility fell below 200 meters and was less than 50 meters in some places. 
And it looks like the air is only going to get worse this evening. According to AirVisual the AQI is expected to spike up to 493 at 1am on Wednesday morning.
If you’re looking for something to look forward to, it does appear that the smog will start to let up on Thursday when all that glorious wind is expected to flow into town.
We can’t wait.
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