Many flights from Vietnam to Japan had to be canceled due to super typhoon Jebi.

The Vietnamese Consulate General in Osaka said that on September 4, Typhoon Jebi made landfall in Japan, causing serious damage, especially in Osaka Prefecture. The Kansai International Airport Authority in Osaka has ordered the airport to close and has no plans to reopen.

The Vietnamese Consulate General in Osaka said that so far there has been no information about Vietnamese citizens being affected.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has directed Vietnamese representative agencies in Japan, especially the Vietnamese Consulate General in Osaka, to continue to closely coordinate with local authorities to closely monitor the situation and be ready to take citizen protection measures if necessary. Vietnamese citizens in the affected areas should remain calm and strictly follow the instructions and announcements of local authorities.

In case of emergency assistance, please contact the Consulate General of Vietnam in Osaka: hotline number +81.80.4638.6139 or +81.90.2709.2009; email:[email protected]; Citizen Protection Hotline: + 84.981.848484.

Kansai Airport had to close due to the heavy impact of Typhoon Jebi. Photo: Reuters

Cancellation of many flights between Vietnam and Japan

According to updated information, Osaka airport is expected to continue to stop operations until after 3:00 p.m. on September 6 and possibly later. Currently, Vietnam has 2 airlines operating flights to Japan: Vietnam Airlines and Jetstar Pacific, these 2 airlines have had to cancel many flights in recent days.

Vietnam Airlines said it will not operate four more flights between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Osaka on September 6 (VN330, VN331, VN320, VN321), bringing the number of flights that cannot operate as planned due to the impact of typhoon Jebi in the three days from September 4 to September 6 to a total of 12.

The airline will transfer free of charge the journey to/from Osaka airport to other airports in Japan such as Nagoya, Narita (Tokyo), Haneda (Tokyo), Fukuoka if passengers request. In addition, the airline will consider putting into operation the Boeing 787 wide-body aircraft with larger seats to replace the Airbus A321 aircraft currently operating on the routes between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Nagoya to support the clearance of passengers at Osaka airport to Nagoya airport.

In addition, due to the damage to the road bridge leading to Osaka Airport during Typhoon Jebi, regular operations at Osaka Airport will be affected in the following days. Vietnam Airlines recommends that passengers consider changing their itinerary to other airports in Japan as above to proactively plan their travel.

Meanwhile, Jetstar Pacific continues to cancel 4 flights between Hanoi and Osaka (BL620/BL621), between Da Nang and Osaka (BL164/BL165) on September 5 and 6, 2018.

Affected passengers will be supported by Jetstar Pacific to transfer free of charge to the following flights with available seats.

Jetstar Pacific said it is closely monitoring the actual situation at Kansai airport to resume flights as soon as possible.