Strong wind sent debris flying over Hong Kong ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Mangkhut this Sunday. Mangkhut was once the world’s strongest storm this year before it weakened after hitting the Philippines.
Airlines and passengers over parts of Asia have been grounded as Typhoon Mangkhut now arrives in Hong Kong and China’s Guangdong province.
According to the Hong Kong Airport Authority, 889 flights have been cancelled on Sunday because of the storm. The city’s Airport Express train and bus service have also been suspended.
Cathay Pacific said that it was expecting “severe disruptions” and won’t resume operations until 4 am Monday. The airline has cancelled more than 400 flights. Cathay Dragon and Hong Kong Airlines also grounded their fleets on Sunday.
AirAsia Group said service disruption was expected to continue through Monday. It cancelled all flights to and from Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Shantou, on Sunday and axed 29 flights on Saturday.
Philippine Airlines is cancelling 10 international flights on Sunday.
Air Belgium delayed its flight KF851 from Charleroi to Hong Kong by one day (Monday instead of Sunday).
Hong Kong International Airport said ferry services between the airport and all of the Pearl River Delta ports had been suspended until further notice.
Hong Kong issued its highest storm warning as the typhoon’s top winds declined to about 167 kilometres per hour, down from 195 kilometres per hour earlier, according to the U.S. Navy and Air Force’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Hawaii.