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NEARLY 200 flights were canceled and another 100 were delayed at Shanghai's two airports today that local air traffic controllers blamed on "air traffic restrictions," but they declined to give detailed explanations.

Hongqiao International Airport canceled 98 flights while Pudong cancelled 101 as of noon. Some 120 flights were delayed for over two hours at the airports.

The Shanghai Airport Authority said the flights were affected by air traffic restrictions in the airspace near Shanghai. Previously, common reasons for the air restriction included military maneuvers and bad weather, but the authority declined to elaborate today.

China Eastern Airlines said the flights from Shanghai were affected because "the airspace was occupied."

The authority has kept lips sealed on the reasons for frequent flight cancellations and delays due to "air traffic restrictions" since July, prompting people to guess on the Internet.

The police authority has detained two people who allegedly spread rumors online that the wide range of flight cancelations and delays on the Shanghai-Beijing route was because the authority was trying to catch a high-ranking official.

Another 37 rumor-mongers were held by the police for "education," police announced today.