UPDATE 1-As Asia's tropical storm season arrives, grounded airplanes at risk of damage

* Hundreds of airplanes grounded at vulnerable airports
* Insurers concerned about potential for damage
* Flying planes away as usual may not be possible

(Adds details of Mumbai cyclone preparations)
By Jamie Freed and Ben Blanchard
SYDNEY/TAIPEI June 3 (Reuters) - Airlines, airports and
insurers across Asia are bracing for the prospect of unusually
high damage as the region's tropical storm season begins, as
hundreds of aircraft grounded by the coronavirus pandemic can't
be moved easily.
Major airports in storm-vulnerable regions such as Hong
Kong, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand and India have
been effectively turned into giant parking lots as COVID-19
travel restrictions choke demand. "If you have got those aircraft on the ground, you can
imagine to get them back up and running in a short space of time
is no easy thing," said Gary Moran, head of Asia aviation at
insurance broker Aon. "The challenge is you can have a typhoon
or hurricane coming and there are going to be a lot of aircraft
that aren't going to be able to be moved in 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 lots of
airplanes grouped together at airports, industry experts said.
"One event could create damage which costs millions to
repair, maybe even closer to hundreds of millions depending on
the aircraft that are involved," said James Jordan, a senior
associate at law firm 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 not be possible. It says extra precautions
such as more tie-downs could be needed.
"Extreme weather events such as hurricanes, typhoons and
cyclones are a seasonal hazard in many areas of the world, and
in the COVID context provide an additional layer of hazard with
many airports accommodating larger numbers of parked aircraft,"
ACI Director General Angela Gittens said in a statement to
Reuters.
Mumbai's airport said on Wednesday that small private planes
vulnerable to strong winds had top priority to be flown out or
parked in a hangar as the city braced for a rare cyclone.
Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport has so many
aircraft on the ground that is 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
hold typhoon preparation meetings 36 hours in advance this year,
rather than the usual 24 hours, to give airlines enough time to
make parking requests. It will open up taxiways if needed at
Taipei's main international airport, Taoyuan, to allow for 160
parked planes.
EVA Airways Corp 2618.TW 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 Ltd 2610.TW , said it had typhoon plans but declined
to provide details.
Hong Kong International Airport, home to Cathay Pacific
Airways Ltd 0293.HK and Hong Kong Airlines, said it had 150
planes parked and precautionary measures had already been
carried out for most as part of typhoon season preparations.
The measures include fuelling up the planes to make 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 need to 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 supposed to maintain a safe environment for
the aircraft," he said. "That is their duty of care."