At least two US carriers are holding flights from the US mainland to the Hawaiian islands in response to a tsunami warning triggered by a megaquake off t he coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Russia.
Seattle-based Alaska Air Group says it is “assessing our flight operations” as it monitors the tsunami warning – in effect on the evening of 29 July local time – for Hawaii, portions of Alaska and the West Coast of the USA. In response, the company has paused flights bound for Hawaii on both Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines.
”We are monitoring airport conditions with government agencies and could see operational impacts,” the company adds. “A waiver is in place allowing guests to adjust their travel plans.”
It is unclear how many flights are affected, though flight tracking data show that some cargo and passengers flight have turned back the US mainland.
The tsunami is expected to reach the western shore of the island of Oahu sometime after 19:00 local time.
The quake has also led to tsunami warnings in Japan, with cities on the Pacific coast on high alert for tsunami waves as high as 3m. It has also led to runway closure at Sendai airport, which sits near the Pacific coast of Japan.
At around 10:15 local time, the airport operator states: ”All runways are currently closed. Passengers planning to fly should check the airline’s website for the latest flight information.”
Japanese carriers such as Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways have cancelled all flights to and from Sendai as a result of tsunami warnings. International operators such as HK Express and EVA Air also suspended Sendai flights on 30 July, according to airport information.
With additional reporting by Alfred Chua.
