While numerous flights to central Vietnam were canceled due to Typhoon Kalmaegi on November 6, services between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City continued with difficulty as pilots were forced to change course to avoid the storm.
On Thursday evening, as Kalmaegi made landfall over the Central Highlands provinces of Dak Lak and Gia Lai, data from tracking site Flightradar24 showed several Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City flights diverting deep into Laos and Cambodia flight information regions to avoid dangerous conditions.
A hotel by Quy Nhon Beach is damaged by Typhoon Kalmaegi on November 6.
Flight VN219, which departed at 7.43 pm, approached Ho Chi Minh City from the west rather than the usual eastern route. Flight VU787, departing Hanoi at 9.12 pm, also diverted into Laos airspace to skirt the storm.
Captain Nguyen Nam Lien of VN219 said that although the main north-south air corridor remained open, pilots faced major challenges. We had to closely track the storm and adjust our route in real time to ensure safety, he said, adding that rerouting increased fuel use and caused delays.
He noted that while diversions lead to longer flight times and later arrivals, they remain the safest option for hundreds of passengers.
Routes to avoid storms, he said, depend on the typhoon’s position and air traffic control guidance. When a storm moves inland, flights may turn east over the East Sea rather than cross into Laos or Cambodia.
An air traffic expert said flying through Laos or Cambodian airspace incurs overflight fees paid to those countries’ aviation authorities. To limit costs, pilots usually enter only small areas of foreign airspace to avoid the storm before returning to Vietnam airspace.
