Super Typhoon Ragasa live tracker: Hong Kong cancels 700 flights after powerful storm kills three in Philippines – UK Times

China’s National Meteorological Centre is forecasting that the typhoon will make landfall between the cities of Zhuhai and Zhanjiang in Guangdong on Wednesday afternoon.

Before it makes landfall in China, the outer bands of the typhoon will impact Hong Kong. The city has issued a typhoon warning signal No 8, the third-highest in the city’s weather alert system.

More than 100 flight departures from Hong Kong have been cancelled in just 10 hours, from 2pm to midnight local time on Tuesday afternoon and evening. An estimated 20,000 passengers are affected.

Analysis by The Independent of Flightradar24 data shows 86 regional departures to destinations in Asia have been grounded.

In addition, more than 30 long-haul departures are grounded – including two overnight flights to London Heathrow on Cathay Pacific, and one on British Airways.

The main Hong Kong airline, Cathay Pacific, has grounded 14 intercontinental departures in the time frame, with three to Sydney alone. Transpacific services to Vancouver, Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, Boston and Toronto are grounded, as are European flights to Amsterdam and Frankfurt.

Many foreign airlines have cancelled flights to their hubs, including Emirates (Dubai), Swiss (Zurich), Lufthansa (Frankfurt), Air France (Paris), Qantas (Sydney and Melbourne), Air New Zealand (Auckland) and Finnair (Helsinki).

After midnight local time on Wednesday morning, the Cathay Pacific flight to Manchester is also cancelled.

Vessels were moved into Victoria Harbour with Ragasa looming in the distance, as the city prepares for gale-force winds and storm surges.

Hong Kong airport said it will “continue operations” but warned passengers to expect “significant disruption” to flight operations from 6pm on Tuesday to Wednesday.

In a statement issued on Monday evening, the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) said: “AAHK and the airport community are fully prepared and standing by for action. The three runways at HKIA will remain operational, and the terminal building will continue to stay open.”

The authority confirmed its Airport Emergency Centre will be activated, allowing staff, airlines and the Civil Aviation Department to coordinate contingency measures such as securing air bridges, strengthening drainage and deploying flood prevention works.

A temporary rest area will be set up inside the terminal with chairs, charging stations, water, snacks and blankets, while a number of restaurants and shops will remain open – some operating 24 hours. The Passenger Care Team will also be deployed to assist stranded travellers.

AAHK advised passengers to check with airlines before heading to the airport and use the HKIA website or “My HKG” app for updates.

Transport to the airport is expected to be affected as Hong Kong issued No 8 signal for typhoon, its third-highest. The airport said a taxi queue ticket system and shuttle buses for staff would be arranged to keep essential services running.

Hong Kong has suspended hundreds of flights as Super Typhoon Ragasa closes in, with airlines scaling back operations from Tuesday evening.

Cathay Pacific said it will suspend all passenger flights, around 500, arriving and departing Hong Kong after 6pm local time (10am GMT) on Tuesday, with most disruption expected on Wednesday.

According to the South China Morning Post, about 700 flights have already been cancelled as airlines prepare for the storm.

Other carriers have also taken action. Hong Kong Airlines announced a special ticketing arrangement, waiving rebooking and refund fees for flights affected between 23–25 September. Emirates has cancelled flights to Hong Kong and Shenzhen over the same period, Gulf News reported.

Super Typhoon Ragasa is holding its intensity today morning as it moves further into the West Philippine Sea after battering northern Luzon.

The storm, which was also known as Nando in the Philippines, was packing maximum sustained winds of 185kmph and gusts up to 230kmph at 11am, according to the Philippine weather agency PAGASA.

It was moving west-northwest at 20kmph and is expected to head toward southern China by late evening tomorrow.

The typhoon is forecast to keep its current strength over the next 24 hours before weakening slightly as it approaches the Chinese coast.

At least three people have been killed and five others remain missing after Super Typhoon Ragasa triggered flooding and landslides across northern Philippines, officials said on Monday.

The victims included a 74-year-old man who was pinned inside a vehicle buried by mud and rocks in the mountain town of Tuba, Benguet province, while being rushed to hospital. Two others died in Calayan town, a cluster of islands in northern Cagayan province where the storm made landfall.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said more than 17,500 people have been displaced as Ragasa – the most powerful storm to hit the Philippines this year – lashed Luzon with winds over 175kmph.

Schools and government offices were closed across Manila and 29 northern provinces, while fishing boats and ferries were ordered to stay in port. Dozens of domestic flights were cancelled.

Ragasa, whose name means “scramble” in Tagalog, is forecast to continue towards southern Taiwan and Hong Kong after leaving the Philippines on Tuesday.