The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam on Thursday afternoon announced that four airports in the northern region will close on Saturday as typhoon Yagi, the third storm to strike the East Vietnam Sea this year, continues its path toward the Vietnamese mainland.

Yagi was some 168 kilometers east-southeast of China's Hainan Island and around 600 kilometers southeast of northern Vietnam’s Quang Ninh Province at 6:00 am on Friday, packing winds of up to 201 kilometers per hour, equivalent to level 16, and gusts reaching level 17, according to the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting.

The four affected airports include Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, Van Don International Airport in Quang Ninh Province, Cat Bi International Airport in Hai Phong City, and Tho Xuan Airport in Thanh Hoa Province.

The decision to suspend the four northern airports was based on forecasts relating to Yagi, which was assessed as a super typhoon.

In particular, the airport in Quang Ninh will cease operations from 4:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday, while Cat Bi is set to close between 5:00 am and 4:00 pm the same day.

Noi Bai will suspend operations from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm, while Tho Xuan Airport will shut down from 12:00 am to 10:00 pm.

The aviation authority asked Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation to provide updated information about flights and manage air traffic effectively to ensure safety.

The Northern Airports Authority has been tasked with overseeing all aviation operations to ensure safety at airports ahead of Typhoon Yagi.

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Transport issued a directive urging the aviation authority to monitor the storm closely and make decisions on whether to temporarily close certain airports if conditions worsen.

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