19 flights to Dien Bien had to be canceled in the past 3 days due to fog and smoke from slash-and-burn farming by people in Upper Laos.
Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM) recorded 5 flights on April 6, 6 flights on April 7, and 8 flights to Dien Bien airport that had to be canceled. The reason is that this is the peak of the dry season in Upper Laos, and people continue to burn forests to make fields. Ash and smoke are blown by the wind to the Dien Bien Phu basin, limiting visibility and affecting flight operations.
Along with that, every April, Dien Bien airport often has South - Southwest wind, speed 11-14 km/h, little cloud, dry fog lasting almost all day causing reduced visibility. On average, about 15 days a month have fog or dry fog, visibility is reduced to from 2,000 m to 4,800 m.
According to VATM, from 2018 to 2022 (before the airport closed for upgrade), every April, Dien Bien airport had 16-22 flights canceled or diverted, accounting for about 20% of the total number of flights arriving and departing from this place.
Airplane at Dien Bien airport. Photo: Ngoc Thanh
After the airport was upgraded, VATM invested in an automatic meteorological monitoring system that meets the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). VATM has directed the Aviation Meteorological Center to closely monitor the weather, paying special attention to wind direction and speed, and to make additional assessments of the dust pollution situation from Upper Laos to the Dien Bien Phu basin to promptly issue accurate forecasts.
From the beginning of December 2023, Dien Bien airport resumed operations after half a year of closure for upgrades, and can now handle large aircraft such as Airbus A320 and A321. After 4 months, the airport operated 906 flights with nearly 70,000 passengers. Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air both have flights to Dien Bien from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Dien Bien province has about 400 border lines with Laos. Dien Bien airport is only about 20 km from the Lao border. To celebrate the 70th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu victory (May 7, 1954), many tourists flocked to this place in April and May.
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