Airlines divert, cancel Tokyo flights

TOKYO, Japan – About 14,000 people were stranded in Narita Internationsl before partial operations resumed with the rescheduling of nine departures.

TOKYO, Japan – About 14,000 people were stranded in Narita Internationsl before partial operations resumed with the rescheduling of nine departures. Tokyo’s Haneda airport also resumed flights later today.

American Airlines, United Continental Holdings and Delta Air Lines canceled dozens of flights between the U.S. and Tokyo’s two major airports.

“Narita airport’s runway is not damaged,” United Continental CEO Jeff Smisek said in an interview in Houston. “The problem is the railway lines aren’t functioning so our employees and the passengers can’t get to the airport.”

British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Air Canada have also canceled Narita and Haneda flights.

A BA spokesman said: “We decided that we would not operate the Haneda-bound flight (BA007) as a precaution and have also cancelled our flight to Narita.”

Virgin Atlantic said its daily London-Tokyo service would not operate tomorrow or on Sunday and that a decision on when its flights to Japan would resume would be made over the weekend.

“Narita has to re-open, we have to have the crews and we have to have the airplanes in place before American Airlines can resume normal operations in Japan,” said Ed Martelle, AA spokesman.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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