Heavy rain and thunderstorms hit Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday evening, causing localized flooding and slowing traffic. The same weather forced Tan Son Nhat Airport to adjust its flight schedule, showing how the airport keeps operations safe during storms.

Tan Son Nhat International Airport temporarily reduced its arrival capacity to 16 flights per hour between 8:00 pm and 9:00 pm because of the weather. The airport planned to increase capacity to 23 flights per hour between 9:00 pm and 10:00 pm, with normal operations expected after 10:00 pm if conditions improved.

The Air Traffic Flow Management Center, part of the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation, delayed departures at origin airports instead of allowing aircraft to circle while waiting for landing clearance. This reduced airborne holding patterns, lowered fuel consumption, and eased the workload for air traffic controllers.

Flight management data recorded at 7:28 pm showed 31 flights were assigned revised departure times, with domestic delays of 12‑28 minutes and international delays of 17‑32 minutes. Authorities emphasized these were flow‑management delays, not actual arrival delays, and conditions could change further.

The airport’s strategy of cutting arrival slots and postponing departures at other airports helps avoid long holding patterns and keeps flights as safe and on‑time as possible during sudden storms. Travelers should expect such adjustments when severe weather hits the region.