The move followed the request of the Ministry to Transport to ensure safety for the aviation sector during Storm Vamco. 

Aviation authorities decided to close Chu Lai Airport in Quang Nam province from 9 am today, November 14 to 10 am tomorrow and Danang International Airport from 12 pm today to 10 am tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the closure time for Phu Bai and Dong Hoi airports will be from 2 pm today to 10 am tomorrow and Vinh Airport will be banned for being operated between 6 am to 8 pm on Sunday.

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines have cancelled many flights to these five airports today.

Vietnam Airlines and Pacific Airlines have conducted many flights from and to the closed airports from one to 11 hours earlier than scheduled today.

Passengers are advised to keep informed of the storm information as well as flights to and from the five airports.

Bamboo Airways have also announced changes to their schedules and have cancelled many flights on November 14-15.

Airlines adjust flight schedules due to Storm Vamco

Some Vietnamese airlines have decided to reschedule flights to/from the central region on November 14 and 15 as airports there will be closed due to Storm Vamco.

Planes of some Vietnamese airlines (Photo: VNA)

Chu Lai Airport in Quang Nam province is going to shut down from 9am on November 14 to 10am on November 15, Da Nang Airport in Da Nang city from 12:00 at noon on November 14 to 10am on November 15, Phu Bai Airport in Thua Thien-Hue province from 2pm on November 14 to 10am on November 15, Dong Hoi Airport in Quang Binh from 7pm on November 14 to 8pm on November 15, and Vinh Airport in Nghe An province from 6am to 8pm on November 15.

Vietnam Airlines will cancel certain flights to/from those airports on November 14, noting that it will arrange flights to replace the cancelled ones later.

The national flag carrier and Pacific Airlines, another member of the Vietnam Airlines Group, will also conduct several flights between one and 11 hours earlier than initially slated on November 14.

Besides, Pacific Airlines is set to delay some flights between HCM City and Vinh Airport between four and nearly 14 hours on November 15.

The carriers recommended passengers planning to fly to/from the airports to be affected by Storm Vamco stay updated with weather forecasts and their announcements.

At 4am on November 14, Vamco’s eye was on the southern area of the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, at about 390km to the east of the coast from Thua Thien-Hue to Da Nang and 510km to the east-southeast of Quang Tri province. It sustained winds of up to 135-165km per hour, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

From 4am on November 14 to 4am on November 15, the storm is predicted to move west-northwest at about 20km per hour and gradually weaken. At 4am on November 15, its centre will be on the inshore areas from Quang Binh to Quang Ngai with strongest winds of 90-100km per hour.

Between 4am on November 15 and 4pm on November 16, it will keep moving west-northwest at some 15-20km per hour and hit the mainland areas from Ha Tinh to Quang Nam and abate into a tropical depression and then a low-pressure area./.VNA/Dtinews