BEIJING, Oct 7 (AFP) - A French aerobatic show scheduled to launch the "Year of France" in China on Thursday has been cancelled due to some of the worst air pollution the capital has witnessed in months.  

The elite "Patrouille de France" of the French Air Force cancelled its show at Beijing's Nanyuan Airport due to poor visibility caused by severe pollution and fog, organizers said.  

Visibility at the airport was only 1.5 kilometres (1.1 mile), far below the five kilometres needed for the event.  

State press reports said some 50,000 spectators were turned away from the airport. Some 30,000 had turned out to see a warm-up display on Wednesday that was also cancelled due to heavy pollution.  

Ticket prices for the show ranged from 150 yuan (USD 18) to 2,800 yuan.  

The China Environmental Monitoring Center listed air quality in the capital as "hazardous" or the lowest on a scale of five, due to a high level of particulate matter shrouding the city.  

Due to coal burning and a rapid rise in automobiles, Beijing's air quality has consistently been ranked as among the worst in the world.  

French President Jacques Chirac travels to China on Saturday for the most important leg of his current eight-day Asian tour.