17 flights forced to circle over central Vietnam as thunderstorms cut airport visibility to 350 m

Seventeen flights bound for Da Nang and Hue were forced to circle on Monday as thunderstorms cut visibility at the two central Vietnam airports.

Heavy rain reduced visibility at Da Nang International Airport to 750 m at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, and one flight that could not land had to circle.

An hour later, another flight approached the runway but could not touch down, as visibility stood at 1,300 m, below operating minimums. At 7:35 p.m., a third flight was unable to land because of wind on the runway.

During this period, many crews asked air traffic control after takeoff to leave the standard departure routes and steer clear of dangerous thunderstorms.

Controllers had to coordinate the extra requests while keeping aircraft safely separated.

Strong thunderstorms returned between 9:45 and 10:15 p.m., at times cutting visibility to 350 m and leaving more aircraft holding over the airport.

An aircraft takes off at Da Nang International Airport on Nov. 10, 2026. Photo courtesy of VATM

In all, 12 flights had to hold until the weather improved before they could land at Da Nang on Monday, according to the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM). Four others aborted their first landing attempt, circled and then made another approach.

At Phu Bai International Airport in Hue, one flight aborted its landing, circled and then flew back to Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport.

On Tuesday, air traffic units kept up close weather monitoring, warnings and control, and no flights were reported affected by the weather.

Cold air combined with easterly winds has brought heavy rain to central Vietnam since Sunday, concentrated in Hue, Da Nang and Quang Ngai, and the rain is expected to last through Wednesday night.

Downpours and strong thunderstorms have cut visibility and affected operating conditions at airports in the region.