SIA, Scoot flights affected as super typhoon draws near Japan

[SINGAPORE] At least 10 flights between Singapore and Japan have been retimed and two cancelled as airlines prepare for super typhoon Hagibis that is expected to hit Japan on Saturday.

According to Scoot's website, two flights between Singapore and Taipei on Sunday have been cancelled and passengers will be reallocated seats in later flights.

The cancelled flights are TR996 from Singapore to Taipei at 8.50am on Sunday and TR997 from Taipei to Singapore at 2.35pm on the same day.

Three Scoot flights originally scheduled to depart from Singapore for Japan on Saturday, the day Super Typhoon Hagibis is expected to hit Japan, have also been retimed, with one going to Tokyo delayed by a full day.

Scoot flight TR874, at first expected to fly to Tokyo via Taipei at 8.50am on Saturday, will now only leave at 8.50am on Sunday.

The other two Scoot flights from Singapore to Japan affected are TR894 from Singapore to Osaka, which has been delayed from 6am to noon on Saturday, and TR804 also to Osaka, which will now depart 12 hours later at 10.20pm instead of 10.20am.

Scoot flight TR805 arriving in Singapore from Osaka is expected to only depart Japan at 9am on Sunday, instead of at 7.35pm on Saturday.

To compensate affected passengers, Scoot has offered a full refund in the form of a travel voucher, or no additional charge to passengers wishing to rebook their flights for a later date not more than 14 days from the affected flight. The rebooked flights must have the same origin and destination as the original flight, with seats subject to availability.

For Singapore Airlines (SIA), six of its flights on Saturday have been retimed, with four moved to an earlier time to give a wide berth to the super typhoon.

Initially planned for 1.20am on Saturday, SQ672 from Singapore to Nagoya will now leave on Friday at 11.20pm, while its corresponding return flight SQ671 departing from Nagoya has also been retimed from 10.30am on Saturday to 8.05am on the same day.

Flight SQ618 from Singapore to Osaka has been brought forward from 1.25am on Saturday to 10.50pm on Friday, while SQ620 also to Osaka is delayed by three hours, from 8.30am to 11.30am on Saturday.

The arrival timings for two flights from Osaka to Singapore on Saturday, SQ619 and SQ621, have also been changed from 4.40pm to 1.15pm, and from 11.05pm on Saturday to 1.50am on Sunday respectively.

SIA said it will provide further updates on flights serving Tokyo Haneda, Tokyo Narita and Los Angeles airports when it has more information.

Super Typhoon Hagibis, which experts have said could cause grave damage in Tokyo, has already caused the cancellation of two Rugby World Cup games, the first time this has happened in the tournament.

It is also disrupting this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka with Saturday's qualifying session postponed to Sunday morning.

Different terms - hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones - are used around the world to describe low-pressure circular storm systems with winds of more than 120kmh that form over warm water. The term typhoon is used for storms that develop in the north-western Pacific and usually threaten Asia.

THE STRAITS TIMES