Due to the bad weather caused by Tropical Storms Talim and Guchol in the East Sea, Vietnam Airlines has cancelled 44 domestic flights, and delayed or cancelled 15 international flights.

A Vietnam Airlines aircraft. The firm has delayed and canceled 59 flights during the past three days due to bad weather, Photo: Dan Tri

Of the 15 international flights, twelve were delayed, including four between Hanoi, Tokyo and Osaka, and eight between Ho Chi Minh City and Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya (Japan), and Cao Hung (Taiwan).

The other three flights, including two from HCMC to Tokyo and Cao Hung, and the other from Tokyo to HCMC, were cancelled. The airline said it would arrange flights for cancelled ones, subject to weather conditions. 

Domestically, cancellations were made for 44 flights to Da Lat from Hanoi, Da Nang and HCMC, and vice versa.

Flights to and from Da Lat today will be subject to weather conditions and storm developments, Vietnam Airlines said.

Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau extended the land warning for Tropical Storm Talim early Wednesday to all parts of Taiwan and warned of heavy rainfall in the island's central and southern regions.

As of Wednesday at 10 a.m., the storm was centered 150 kilometers west-southwest of the outlying county of Penghu, moving at a speed of 33 km per hour in a northeasterly direction. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 83 kph, with gusts reaching 108 kph, the bureau said.

At 4 a.m. this morning, the storm was located 360 km east-southeast of Hong Kong, with winds of 76-102 kph, Vietnam’s National Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Center said. The storm will bring medium and heavy rains to Northern and Central Vietnam for the next two to three days. 

Rough sea winds of 45-62 kph have occurred in the north area of the East Sea, including the seas northeast of the Truong Sa (Spartly) Islands. The area between Binh Thuan to Ca Mau province was also rough, with winds of 30-45 kph andh gusts of 51-62 kph, the center said.

Meanwhile, Typhoon Guchol yesterday lashed southwestern Japan with strong winds and heavy rain as it moved toward the center of the country, forcing airlines and train operators to cancel services amid warnings of flooding and landslides, according to Bloomberg News. 

Guchol was about 30 kilometers (19 miles) west-southwest of Shionomisaki, Wakayama prefecture at 5:40 p.m. local time, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. 

Sustained winds were 130 kilometers per hour (81 miles per hour), making it a Category 1 storm, the weakest on the five-step Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

Source: Tuoitrenews