Ninety-two flights scheduled to take off at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport were delayed for more than one hour by 8 pm on Thursday because of a thunderstorm that swept over Guangdong province, according to officials at the country's second-busiest airport.

Seventy flights were canceled by 8 pm and 42 flights that had been forced to land in other cities, the farthest being Guiyang in Guizhou province, were still waiting for permission to fly back to the provincial capital of Guangdong, said Hu Fang, a media officer with the airport.

"The airport is in good order. Passengers have shown understanding for the delays and cancellations caused by the thunderstorm," Hu said.