Delays at airports see surge in flight insurance

Travel agencies have reported brisk sales of flight-delay insurance policies in the past two weeks, especially on routes in the eastern and central parts of China, as a result of an increasing number of flight delays.

Ctrip.com International Ltd said on Wednesday that its sales of such policies rose 90 percent this month compared with the first two months of the year. The company is the largest online travel agency in China.

About 26 percent of the customers of Tongcheng Network Technology Share Co Ltd, an online travel agency based in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, bought flight-delay insurance in recent weeks, compared with 20 percent previously, said Zhang Yanhong, public relations manager of Tongcheng Network.