Hong Kong International Airport (China) is "struggling" to deal with the consequences of Typhoon Wipha as it prepares to serve up to 1,076 flights to and from.
Information from the Airport Management Agency said that more than 500 flights were canceled due to the impact of the storm, affecting about 100,000 passengers. The rescheduling of flights comes as many passengers are still stuck due to disrupted flight schedules.
Mr. Steven Yiu, Executive Director of Airport Operations under the Hong Kong Airports Authority (China), said that the airport and airlines have deployed more human resources to serve passengers. He is optimistic that most of the affected passengers will be supported the next day. However, a few passengers with rare flight schedules will have to wait for a replacement flight in the next few days.
On July 20, the Hong Kong Meteorological Station (China) issued a T10-level storm signal at 9:20 a.m. when Typhoon Wipha made landfall in the city. This is the first time since September 2023 that this highest warning signal has been issued. By the evening of the same day, the signal was lowered to T8 at 4:10 p.m., then continued to decrease to T3 at 7:40 p.m. All storm warning signals were removed at 5:10 a.m. on July 21.
Mr. Chris Au Young, Station and Passenger Experience Manager at the Hong Kong Airports Authority (China), said flights were resumed as soon as the typhoon warning signal fell to T8. However, he also noted that it would take two to three days to fully handle the number of flights canceled due to the storm.
On the morning of July 21, the departure hall of the airport was still quite crowded due to the peak summer tourist season. However, Mr. Steven Yiu affirmed that the runways have returned to normal operation and the reallocation of flights will continue until the evening.
