Flights cancelled as cyclone bashes Pacific Islands

Travellers to New Caledonia for the Easter school holidays will run into some setbacks as a powerful cyclone bore down on the French South Pacific territory today.
Per Daily Mail, Cyclone Cook whipped through Vanuatu as a Category One storm over the weekend, which caused flooding, but has been forecast to get as big as Category Four before hitting land in New Caledonia this afternoon.
Category four is just one level below the most dangerous wind speed level, with Fiji’s Meteorological Service predicting the storm to hit the main island’s north almost the same time as high tide.
Add to this winds of up to 200km/hour and waves as tall as 10 metres, and it doesn’t look good.
Flights from the main airport at Noumea have been cancelled for Monday evening and Tuesday, a spokesperson said, per Daily Mail.
“The threat to New Caledonia is very serious,” the territory’s meteorological service said in a cyclone alert bulletin on Monday.
Cyclone Cook was intensifying as the threat from Cyclone Debbie, which struck Australia and New Zealand, then dissipated.
“At this stage, the Company’s Flight Schedule is linked to the evolution of the cyclone. Passengers are invited to regularly check the Company’s website and their e-mail account, in order for them to be provided with the latest information on the Flight Schedule status for the coming days,” the Aircalin website read.
The latest flight update for Aircalin reads as follows:
CYCLONE COOK *** AIRCALIN FLIGHT SCHEDULE UPDATE N°02 ***
Due to the Cook Cyclone currently located around Vanuatu and New Caledonia, some changes to Aircalin flight Schedule shall be expected in the coming days.
Below is the status of the flights for Monday 10 April 2017:
– Flight Noumea – Port Vila – Noumea:
– SB232 between Noumea and Port Vila, and SB233 between Port Vila and Noumea : cancelled, a new schedule will be defined according to the status of the cyclone.
– Flight Noumea – Osaka – Noumea:
– SB881 between Osaka and Noumea : cancelled, a new schedule will be defined according to the status of the cyclone.
– Flight Noumea – Sydney – Noumea:
– SB149 and SB148 between Noumea and Sydney : cancelled, a new schedule will be defined according to the status of the cyclone.
– Flight Noumea – Wallis – Noumea:
– SB331 between Wallis, Nandi and Noumea : cancelled, a new schedule will be defined according to the status of the cyclone.
– Flight Noumea – Melbourne – Noumea:
– SB111 between Melbourne and Noumea : cancelled, a new schedule will be defined according to the status of the cyclone.
Below is the status of the flights for Tuesday 11 April 2017:
– Flight Noumea – Sydney – Noumea :
– SB140 and SB141 between Noumea and Sydney : cancelled, a new schedule will be defined according to the status of the cyclone.
– Vol Noumea – Auckland – Noumea :
– SB410 and SB411 between Noumea and Auckland : cancelled, a new schedule will be defined according to the status of the cyclone.
Below is the status of the flights for Wednesday 12 April 2017:
– Flight Noumea – Tokyo – Noumea :
– SB800 and SB801 between Noumea and Auckland : cancelled, a new schedule will be defined according to the status of the cyclone.
Air Vanuatu Flight Re-timings look like this:
VU 9/4 @1230
Revised timings for Air Vanuatu Services today and Tuesday.
Monday
Passengers booked on Saturday’s NF11 8/4 will travel
*NF11 10/4/17 Sydney to Port Vila expected into Port Vila at 1215 DEPARTED
Passengers booked on Sundays NF10 9/4/17 will travel
*NF10 10/4/17 Port Vila to Sydney expected to depart at 1310 arriving into Sydney at 1605
Passengers booked on Sundays NF11 9/4/17 will travel
*NF11 10/4/17 Sydney to Port Vila expected to depart at 15.45 arriving into Port Vila at 2120
Passengers booked on Sundays NF20 9/4/17 will travel
*NF20 10/4/17 Port Vila to Brisbane expected to depart at 2200 arriving into Brisbane at 0020+1
Passengers booked on Sundays NF21 10/4/17 will travel
*NF21 11/4/17 Brisbane to Port Vila expected to depart at 0120 arriving into Port Vila at 0450
Passengers booked on NF64/65 on Mon. 10 Apr 2017 to travel as per normal schedule :
*NF64 10/4/17 Port Vila to Noumea expected to depart at 16:15 arriving at 17:50
*NF65 10/4/17 Noumea to Port Vila expected to depart at 18:30 arriving at 20:05
Tuesday
Passengers booked on Monday’s NF10 10/4/17 will now travel
*NF10 11/4/17 Port Vila to Sydney expected to depart at 0700 arriving into Sydney at 0955
Passengers booked on Mondays NF11 10/4/17 will now travel
*NF11 11/4/17 Sydney to Port Vila expected to depart at 1055 arriving into Port Vila at 1510
Passengers booked on Mondays NF20 10/4/17 will now travel
*NF20A 11/4/17 Port Vila to Espiritu Santo expected to depart at 1610 arriving into Santo at 1645
*NF20A 11/4/17 Espiritu Santo to Port Vila expected to depart at 1745 arriving into Brisbane at 2040
Passengers booked to Espiritu Santo will now be delayed
*NF21A 11/4/17 Brisbane to Espiritu Santo expected to depart 2140 arriving into Espiritu Santo at 0025
*NF21A 11/4/17 Espiritu Santo to Port Vila are expected to depart at 0110+1 arriving into 0145+1
*ALL TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
CHECK-IN OPENS TWO AND A HALF HOURS BEFORE AND CLOSES ONE HOUR PRIOR TO THE PUBLISHED DEPARTURE TIME.
Image: Twitter @dailypostdan
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
air vanuatu aircalin cyclone cook new caledonia noumea vanuatuLatest News

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