Flights departing from the Chinese capital suffer the most delays in the world, according to research quoted by Forbes magazine this week, DPA reported.
The research, conducted by online flight information company FlightStats, showed that only 38 per cent of planes leaving Beijing Capital International Airport in 2009 took off within 15 minutes of their scheduled departure time.
A spokesman for the airport refuted the findings, which put Beijing at the bottom of the departure punctuality ratings for the second year running.
In a survey carried out by the International Civil Aviation Authority, Beijing airport was ranked fifth worldwide for punctuality by passengers, the spokesman was quoted as saying in Tuesday's edition of the Chinese daily Global Times.
The spokesman dismissed as "incorrect" the data used by FlightStats, who claim to gather their information from airports, airlines and booking systems.
Since its expansion ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing airport is the largest in the world, handling around 60 million passengers a year.
The prize for least timely arrivals in 2009 went to Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport, with only 45 per cent of inbound flights landing on schedule, according to the report.