HCMC – Vietnam Airlines on Monday said that torrential rains in central Vietnam in the past days had forced it to cancel at least 30 flights to Vinh and Chu Lai, but it pledged more flights than usual soon to transport stranded passengers.
The national flag air carrier aborted 28 services to and from Vinh City and two from and to Chu Lai in Quang Nam Province from October 15 to 18. Meanwhile, Jetstar Pacific said it had to divert two flights from Tan Son Nhat Airport to Noi Bai Airport instead of landing in Vinh on October 17 and 18.
Vietnam Airlines conducted two flights from Vinh to HCMC on Monday, using Airbus A321, and plans four services out of its normal schedule between the central city and HCMC on Tuesday.
The carrier plans to resume six daily flights between HCMC and Vinh and two daily services between Hanoi and Vinh as usual from Tuesday. Vietnam Airlines said it had prepared for Typhoon Megi, which is forecast to reach the Eastern Sea on Tuesday afternoon and may affect the flights bound for central Vietnam.
The carrier called for passengers to check the latest information about its flights to the region on its website at www.vietnamairlines.com and booking offices.
Jetstar Pacific told the Daily that it was keeping itself abreast of developments of Super Storm Megi in order to have proper plans to operate its flights to central Vietnam and mitigate impact on passengers.
Vietnam’s civil aviation regulations clarify flight cancellations due to storms are unavoidable so airlines do not have to pay compensation for affected passengers. Airlines often help passengers travel by road to their planned destinations if they have to divert their planes to a new destination because of bad weather.
