Vietnam Airlines cancels Hong Kong flights ahead of Typhoon Haima

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The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has canceled 10 flights from Vietnam to Hong Kong and Taiwan on Thursday and Friday as Typhoon Haima is heading to Hong Kong.

Vietnam Airlines said six flights scheduled to leave Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City for Hong Kong on Thursday evening and Friday have been canceled. Extra flights will be added on Saturday.

Earlier it also canceled four flights from to Taiwan on Thursday and moved the passengers to other flights on Friday.

The typhoon, with maximum sustained winds of up to 145 kilometers (90 miles) per hour, is forecast to make landfall within 100 kilometers to the east of Hong Kong around noon on Friday, before moving further into mainland China.

Many flights to and from Hong Kong have been canceled or delayed. Many schools, banks, and government offices were closed on Friday.

Haima, which lashed the Philippines with torrential rains and raging winds on Thursday, is the third-strongest typhoon of the season, behind Nepartak and Meranti.

Vietnam has escaped the worst after Haima moved north, instead of east as feared earlier.

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