An executive at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City has claimed a recent runway closure was simply for routine maintenance.

Pham Vu Cuong, deputy director of the airport, stated on Wednesday that the runway 25R/07L was closed from 10:00 am to 17:30 pm to be maintained, rejecting the idea that thunder had struck it in the afternoon.

“The runway has served over 100,000 departures and arrivals since the beginning of the year,” he said, adding that the process would not affect flights to and from the airport.

But many airlines on Wednesday switched their flight schedules, especially those between 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm, due to the maintenance.

On Wednesday morning, airport staff discovered damage to the runway, alleging it was caused by thunder and saying it needed to be immediately suspended for repair.

The airport operator then had to reduce the number of flights per hour from 42 to 32 due to the runway’s shutdown.

The runway was put back into service on 5:30 pm the same day.

An airport spokesperson confirmed that over 50 flights were delayed the day before due to severe storms.

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