Several Singapore Airlines flights have been cancelled after Hong Kong International Airport announced a 36-hour halt to all passenger flights, starting at 08:00 on Tuesday, 23 September, through to 08:00 on 25 September. This dramatic move is part of preparations as Hong Kong braces for what could be one of the most ferocious super typhoons in recent memory — Typhoon Ragasa.
Qantas confirmed the shutdown window and said it would contact affected travellers. A spokesperson for the Airport Authority emphasised that they are closely watching Ragasa’s approach, though they haven’t formally declared the closure themselves. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Observatory initially signalled the lowest typhoon warning by midday Monday, escalating to the second-highest later that evening between 8 pm and 10 pm.
Forecasts warn that conditions will deteriorate sharply from Tuesday onwards. Gale-force to storm-force winds are expected to lash the city on Wednesday, with hurricane-force gusts offshore and at higher altitude. Across Hong Kong, panic buying began Monday — supermarket shelves were being emptied (milk was already sold out in some places), and fresh markets raised prices dramatically for essentials. Reuters reports that vegetables were being sold at more than triple normal rates in some areas.
Cathay Pacific announced that over 500 of its flights would be cancelled. Their spokeswoman said that from 18:00 Tuesday, all arriving and departing passenger flights at Hong Kong International will cease, only resuming during daylight hours on Thursday.
Latest weather update: Ragasa has now been declared the strongest tropical cyclone worldwide so far this year, with sustained winds exceeding 260 km/h and monstrous storm surges forecast. Hong Kong was briefly placed under the highest typhoon warning signal T10, before downgrading to T8 in the early afternoon. Destructive waves smashed into the coastline, flooding roads, uprooting trees, and sending seawater surging into buildings along eastern promenades. As Ragasa presses on toward Guangdong, officials across southern China have ordered mass evacuations and citywide shutdowns in anticipation of its landfall.
