Storm No. 1, Wutip, is causing serious impacts on aviation activities in the Central region of Vietnam, especially at Da Nang International Airport. According to preliminary statistics, the air traffic situation here is extremely tense with a series of flights affected.
Specifically, 9 flights to Da Nang were completely canceled, while 9 others were unable to land and were forced to divert. In fact, 8 flights had already taken off but then had to return to the departure airport due to bad weather conditions.
Many flights to Da Nang were delayed and canceled due to the storm.
At Da Nang’s domestic terminal, at 12 noon today, the sight of long lines of passengers waiting to check in has become familiar, while outside it continues to rain heavily. On the flight announcement board, the situation is not very optimistic: out of 12 flights of Vietnam Airlines and VietJet to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Phu Quoc, only one is in the process of checking in. Seven flights are delayed, and four others have no specific departure time, leaving thousands of passengers stranded and worried about their schedules.
Da Nang International Terminal is also not out of the whirlpool of impact. The pair of flights from Da Nang to Macau (China) scheduled to take off at 10:30 p.m. and from Macau at 10:05 p.m. on June 12 were forced to postpone, affecting international passengers.
Da Nang International Airport has preliminary statistics showing that 9 flights were canceled, 9 flights were unable to land at Da Nang airport, and 8 flights took off but had to return to the runway.
Vietnam Airlines, the national airline, has recorded significant losses. During the evening of June 11 and the early morning of June 12, the airline had to cancel up to 14 flights between Hanoi and Da Nang. In addition, two flights numbered VN7167 and VN7165 from Hanoi to Da Nang were unable to land as planned, forced to divert to land at Cam Ranh or return to Hanoi due to operating conditions at Da Nang airport not meeting safety standards.
Also during this period, 7 flights to Da Nang had to wait in the air, causing a chain reaction that delayed 32 other flights from 20 to 65 minutes. The bad weather also spread to Phu Bai Airport (Hue), causing many flights to and from this airport to wait in the air or depart late.
Due to the impact of storm Wutip, the pair of flights from Da Nang to Macau (China) had to be postponed.
To respond promptly and prioritize safety, Vietnam Airlines has quickly adjusted its operating plan. The airline plans to increase flights and use wide-body aircraft on the Hanoi - Da Nang route on the afternoon of June 12 to relieve passenger congestion.
Vietnam Airlines has sincerely apologized to passengers for the inconvenience caused by the unforeseen change in schedule due to the weather. The airline also announced that flight times may continue to be adjusted depending on the development of the storm and will continue to update information via official media channels as well as contact information in passenger booking records.
According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, the bad weather caused by typhoon Wutip is likely to continue to affect flights to the Central region today and tomorrow. At noon today, the center of typhoon Wutip is located in the western area of the Hoang Sa archipelago, maintaining a level 8-9 intensity with maximum winds of 88 km/h.
Passengers should pay attention to check the weather situation in advance due to the impact of typhoon Wutip.
In the next 24 hours, the storm is expected to move west-northwest at a speed of about 5-10 km/h, heading straight towards Hainan Island (China). The northern area of the East Sea, including the Paracel Islands, today has winds of level 6-7, gusts of level 9, rough seas with waves of 3-5m high. Particularly, the northwestern sea has strong winds of level 7, the area near the storm's center has winds of level 9-10, gusts of level 13, very rough seas with waves of 4-6m high.
In particular, the Central Central region is expected to continue to experience very heavy rain today and tomorrow, with rainfall ranging from 100-200mm, locally over 350mm. This situation requires airlines and passengers to pay close attention and proactively prepare response plans.
