Super Typhoon Ragasa: Travellers stuck in airport after flight suspension

Hundreds of travellers remained stranded at Hong Kong International Airport from 6pm on Tuesday due to flight cancellations, after the Observatory issued the T8 warning signal for the approaching Super Typhoon Ragasa.

All flights scheduled to depart after 6pm on Tuesday have been cancelled, as well as most flights scheduled to fly out after 5pm.

Air France flight AF8404 to Amsterdam, originally scheduled to depart from Hong Kong at 10:45pm, was moved forward to board passengers at 4pm.

Travellers are stuck at the airport as they await updates from their airlines, while take-offs and landings remain suspended until resumption from Thursday 6am, according to the Airport Authority.

Jonas Humann, a traveller from Germany whose flight was originally scheduled for Tuesday evening, said he was confused about where to get information regarding the typhoon.

Humann said he will be sleeping on a bench for the night, at the airport, as he could not find a staff member who could offer him help. 

“Qatar Airways isn’t paying for a hotel, and there are no meal vouchers or anything either, the hotels nearby are very pricey,” said Humann.

Upon enquiries, the Qatar Airways customer service hotline said they are not responsible for handling any arrangements online, while there were no staff present at the Qatar help desk in Hong Kong International Airport on Tuesday at 7pm.

A couple from Papua New Guinea, Vanessa and Ronald, said they are satisfied with the clear instructions given by the Hong Kong government.

“We do appreciate the timely announcements that they have been given, and it's good to see that they're not trying to just create a mass panic,” said Vanessa.

The customer service counter of the airport distributed small pillows to stranded travellers, and restaurants will operate normally throughout the 36 hours of flight suspension.

Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 shows Cathay Pacific, the local flagship carrier, has relocated their planes to airports of unaffected locations such as China, Japan and Australia ahead of the typhoon hit.

The Airport Authority said the airport had completed the handling of all 600 scheduled flights at 9:30pm on Tuesday, with all passengers in the restricted areas of the departure hall departed or left.

Only a small number of cargo flights were scheduled on Wednesday, and the Flight Rescheduling Control System has been activated for airlines to plan their flight resumptions, the Authority added.