Beijing airport will temporarily close from 7:59pm to midnight during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on August 8, Xinhuanet.com reported today.

More than 20 flights from Shanghai to Beijing will be affected during the 4-hour closure, the report said. Those flights will either be canceled or delayed. But all flights will return to normal on August 9.

There are only 27 flights available from Shanghai to Beijing on August 8 on Ctrip.com while 43 are available on August 7 and another 45 on August 9, the report said.

The latest Air China flight departs Shanghai at 2:55pm on August 8. China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines have a total of three flights that will take off after 10pm on August 8 and arrive in Beijing early on August 9, the report said.

Officials of China Eastern said flights from 3pm to 10pm on August 8 can't be booked. Flight schedules for August 8 may be adjusted at any time, however, the airline promised to inform all passengers of any additional changes to flight schedules, the report said.

Meanwhile, since Shanghai's two airports will receive many flights related to the Beijing Olympics, other planes will likely be affected, the report said.

From July 20, Beijing airport will use anti-blast safety gates at all entrances to its three terminals. Police will rub all baggage with test paper and put the paper against an explosive indicator to check whether anyone is carrying explosive goods.

Also from July 20, airports in 18 cities and regions will launch an extra security check. All people entering terminal buildings will need to pass a security check, the report said.