5 central airports halt operation as storm Noru nears

Chu Lai Airport in Quang Nam Province will suspend operation from 7 a.m. Tuesday to 7 a.m. the following day.

Da Nang Airport, Thua Thien Hue Province’s Phu Bai, Binh Dinh Province’s Phu Cat and Gia Lai Province’s Pleiku airports will be shut down between Tuesday noon to Wednesday noon.

According to the National Center for Hydro and Meteorological Forecasting, the powerful storm Noru with a wind speed of 149 kph is nearing the Hoang Sa archipelago and is expected to bring heavy rains to the central coast starting Tuesday afternoon.

Rainfall of 250-400 mm have been forecast from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday in Da Nang and the provinces to its north and south.

A spokesperson of Vietnam Airlines said all of its flights departing from five mentioned airports will be suspended due to airport closures. Flights to and from Vinh, Dong Hoi, Buon Ma Thuot, Da Lat, and Tuy Hoa towns in nearby provinces may need to be rescheduled.

Due to the change in operation schedule, flights from other airports will also be affected.

A spokeswoman for Vietjet Air said its flights to and from the five airports will be halted at the instruction of aviation authorities.

Airlines encourage travelers to follow storm updates to plan their journey accordingly.

Storm Noru, one of the strongest storms in the last two decades to hit Vietnam, is approaching the Paracel Islands with a wind speed at 149 kph, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

As of 7 p.m. Monday, Noru was about 440 km away from the Paracel Islands with a maximum wind speed of 149 kph. It is likely to get stronger as it moves towards the island.

The storm is expected to continue to move west on Monday at 20-25 kph. By 7 p.m. Tuesday, it would be 260 km from Da Nang, with a maximum wind speed of 166 kph. It will continue moving to make landfall in central Vietnam and weakening into a tropical depression by 7 p.m. Wednesday.