Osaka-Macau flights suspended, will not resume until next week at the earliest

The airport was partialy flooded by typhoon Jebi in Osaka

At least 18 flights between Macau International Airport and western Japan’s Kansai International Airport have been canceled due to the impact and damage caused by super typhoon Jebi, according to flag carrier Air Macau’s website.

Typhoon Jebi came ashore in Japan with sustained winds of 160 kilometers per hour, cutting a path of destruction in and around Osaka and nearby cities that bore the brunt of the storm.

Jebi left at least 11 dead and millions of homes without power. It also cut off access to the artificial island that hosts Kansai International Airport – the region’s main international gateway – after a tanker was sent spiraling into a key bridge. The airport’s runways were flooded, making flights in and out of the airport impossible. Thousands of travelers have reportedly been stranded at the airport.

Air Macau flights between the MSAR and Osaka have been canceled since Tuesday and, according to the airline’s website, they will not resume until at least September 12.

Passengers booked on these flights may change to another date or have their tickets refunded, without having to pay rebooking or refund fees.

According to the government, Air Macau is also offering to reschedule affected passengers’ return tickets to Macau via either the Narita or Fukuoka Airports.

Macau’s Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT) said that it was paying close attention to the situation and will keep in contact with both the Macau travel industry and flag carrier Air Macau for any updates.

In a statement issued yesterday, GGCT noted that, from the information gathered via the Macau travel industry, there are currently no tour groups from Macau in Osaka.

As of midday yesterday, the Office had received 27 requests for information, mainly relating to the status of flights between Macau and Japan. It has not received any requests for assistance.

The Kansai  airport remains closed indefinitely, two days after the strongest typhoon to hit Japan in at least 25 years flooded a runway, toppled huge cranes, flipped cars on their side, damaged historic shrines and caused at least 11 deaths as it swept across part of Japan’s main island.

Some 3,000 airline passengers who had to spend the night at the offshore Kansai airport were able to leave on boats and buses under sunny skies. They were stranded after a tanker unmoored by the storm’s pounding waves and wind slammed into a bridge that is the airport’s only link to the mainland.

Officials could not say when the airport, a gateway for Asian tourists visiting Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe, would reopen. The closure of the main airport serving one of Japan’s major business and commercial areas triggered concern about the possible impact on tourism and the economy.

Flooding at the airport had largely subsided Wednesday but flight operations equipment needed to be assessed for damage, as did the crushed part of the bridge.

Passengers stranded overnight appeared relieved but exhausted after an uneasy night in the dark.

Hideko Senoo, a 51-year-old homemaker planning a family trip to India, said the terminal was hot and dark after losing power, and food at convenience stores was sold out.

“We could not use vending machines or access the wireless network to get information,” she told Japan’s Kyodo News service.

Miki Yamada, a 25-year-old office worker planning a trip to Thailand with her friend, told Kyodo she spent the night at an airport cafeteria. “It was a rather scary night, as we were so isolated,” she said.

Osaka heavily affected

Overturned cars are seen on a street following a powerful typhoon in Osaka

The Universal Studios Japan theme park in Osaka was closed for a second day yesterday but said it would reopen today.

Factories in the region, including automaker Daihatsu Motor Co., electronics giant Panasonic and beverage maker Kirin Co., were expected to resume operations yesterday after suspending production during the typhoon, Kyodo said.

The deaths included a man in his 70s who was blown to the ground from his apartment in Osaka prefecture. Police said at least five others died elsewhere in the prefecture after being hit by flying objects or falling from their apartments. In nearby Shiga prefecture, a 71-year-old man died when a storage building collapsed on him, and a man in his 70s died after falling from a roof in Mie, officials said.

In Nishinomiya in Hyogo prefecture, about 100 cars at a seaside dealership burned after their electrical systems were shorted out by sea water, fire officials and news reports said.

In Kyoto, the former imperial capital and a popular tourist destination, wooden shrine buildings and tall orange-red entrance gates were knocked down. Soaring trees fell at a shrine in Nara, another historic city.

More than 400,000 households in western and central Japan remained without power yesterday, and electric utilities warned that it would take time to bring everyone back on line. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at least 11 people had been confirmed dead and 470 people were injured.