As Asia's tropical storm season arrives, grounded airplanes vulnerable to damage

Airlines, airports and insurers across Asia are bracing for the chance of unusually high damage as the region's tropical storm season begins, as a huge selection of planes grounded by the coronavirus pandemic can't be moved easily.

Major airports in storm-vulnerable regions such as for example Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand and India have been effectively turned into giant parking lots as COVID-19 travel restrictions choke demand.

"Assuming you have got those aircraft on the ground, you can imagine to get them back up and running in a short time is no easy thing," said Gary Moran, head of Asia aviation at insurance professional Aon. "The task is you could have a typhoon or hurricane coming and there are going to be a whole lot of aircraft that are not going to be able to be moved with time."

Airline insurers, already on the hook to refund large portions of crash risk premiums because of the groundings, now face the larger-than-usual risk posed by having plenty of airplanes grouped together at airports, industry authorities said.

"One event could create damage which costs millions to repair, maybe even nearer to hundreds of millions based on the aircraft that are participating," said James Jordan, a senior associate at lawyer HFW's Asia aerospace and insurance practices.

In guidance to be issued to airport operators this week, seen by Reuters, the trade group Airports Council International (ACI) warns that flying the planes out of danger, the practice in normal times, may well not be possible. It says extra precautions such as for example more tie-downs could be needed.

"Extreme weather events such as hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones certainly are a seasonal hazard in many regions of the world, and in the COVID context provide an additional layer of hazard with many airports accommodating larger amounts of parked aircraft," ACI Director General Angela Gittens said in a statement to Reuters.

Manila's Ninoy Aquino AIRPORT TERMINAL has so many airplanes on the floor that it is by using a runway for parking, according to a spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

Taiwan's aviation regulator said it had asked airports to carry typhoon preparation meetings 36 hours in advance this year, instead of the usual 24 hours, to give airlines enough time to create parking requests. It'll open up taxiways if needed at Taipei's main international airport, Taoyuan, to permit for 160 parked planes.

EVA Airways said its plans included securing aircraft, parking them in hangars and sending some to other airports in Taiwan and abroad. Taiwan's largest carrier, China Airlines, said it had typhoon plans but declined to supply details.

Hong Kong International Airport, home to Cathay Pacific Airways and Hong Kong Airlines, said it had 150 planes parked and protective measures had already been completed for most within typhoon season preparations.

The measures include fuelling up the planes to create them heavier, tying weights to nose gear, adding weight in the cargo hold, putting double chocks on aircraft wheels and flying planes to other airports, the airport operator said.

Osaka's Kansai International Airport, whose runway flooded when Typhoon Jebi breached a seawall in 2018, said it had raised the wall's height and waterproofed facilities.

Airports will also must ensure they do not have any loose equipment that poses a risk to airplanes or they could face claims from airline insurers, Aon's Moran said.

"The airport is meant to maintain a protected climate for the aircraft," he said. "That's their duty of care."