No respite from the heat for Shanghai's airport staff

While most people are seeking shelter from the blistering summer heat in air- conditioned offices and malls, the ground staff of Shanghai's two airports have been braving the weather to rectify problems caused by the high temperatures.

To exacerbate matters, many of these workers must don thick uniforms and hard hats. One such worker is Liu Qingfei, whose responsibility is to service the pole lamps in Shanghai Pudong International Airport that are more than 30 meters high. The extreme heat this summer has caused the number of lamp malfunctions to soar.

The job of aircraft escorts like Li Xiaolong isn't any easier. Every day, these workers have to walk around 20 kilometers across the aerodrome to inspect dozens of planes.

"We are the last line of defense on the ground when it comes to the security of the aircraft, so no mistake is allowed from us," said Li.

On July 31, the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau issued yet another yellow alert for heat this year, with temperatures soaring past 35 degrees Celsius. To address this issue, the Shanghai Airport Authority has prepared 180,000 bottles of water to help their staff beat the heat.

"I have worked in the unloading division for three years. Although the weather has been getting warmer each year, we are also getting more assistance from the company to stay cool," said Han Bingbing, a team leader of China Eastern Airlines' unloading service division at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport.

"We have gotten used to the high temperatures - 39 degrees is actually quite tolerable for us," said Li Shifen, the head of production and supply division at China Eastern who is responsible for the laundry, ironing and packaging of about 29,000 blankets used by passengers every day.

The workloads of professionals like Li are also elevated during this period as it coincides with the school summer vacations. China Eastern had launched more than 20 new flights between July 1 and 24 to meet the increase in travel demands.