By Euronews Travel with AP
Published on
23/09/2025 – 12:39 GMT+2
Hundreds of flights have been grounded and tens of thousands of passengers left stranded as Super Typhoon Ragasa moves over Asia.
It has been dubbed the “King of Storms” by China’s meteorological agency and is the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane. It is believed to be the most powerful storm the world has seen this year.
The typhoon will make landfall between the cities of Zhuhai and Zhanjiang in Guangdong on Wednesday afternoon, China’s National Meteorological Centre has said. Before it makes landfall in China, the outer bands of the typhoon will impact Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Observatory has upgraded its typhoon warning level to No. 8, just two levels below the maximum.
The super typhoon already brought wind gusts of up to 285 kilometres per hour at its high point on Monday, triggering warnings of floods, storm surges and landslides across the region this week.
Ragasa has already killed three people and led to the displacement of thousands more in the Philippines. More than 100 international flights have already been cancelled in the region as the storm passed through.
Hong Kong Airport is expecting ‘significant disruption’
Hong Kong International Airport has announced that it expects “significant disruption” from 6 pm local time on Tuesday. More than 700 flights are likely to be cancelled over the coming days, with all flights suspended after 6 pm on 23 September.
“Due to inclement weather conditions, passengers are advised to contact the airline for the latest flight information or check with the airport’s website before departing for the airport,” a message on the airport’s website reads.
“The public transport services to and from the airport may also be affected. Passengers are advised to allow sufficient travel time to and from the airport.”
Cathay Pacific has cancelled more than 500 flights and its budget arm, HK Express, has axed 100. All flights to and from Hong Kong have been cancelled between 6 pm on Tuesday 23 September and 6 am on Thursday 25 September.
The airline said that more flight delays and cancellations may be necessary depending on weather conditions and the typhoon’s path over the next two days. Cathay Pacific’s in-town check-in facility at Hong Kong and Kowloon stations is closed during this period. It has also waived its rebooking, re-routing and refund charges for passengers with trips booked between 23 and 25 September.
Hong Kong Airlines has cancelled more than 100 flights between 23 and 25 September. Online check-in service for some flights will also be suspended during this time.
The airline has also waived rebooking, rerouting and refund fees for all confirmed tickets issued for the affected flights.
Many other international carriers, including Emirates, Lufthansa, Air France and Finnair, have also cancelled flights.
Where else have flights been cancelled?
All flights to and from Shenzhen International Airport in southern China have been suspended from 8 pm local time on 23 September. This is expected to last until the morning of 25 September but will depend on weather conditions.
The entirety of Guangdong province, where Shenzhen is located, has been placed under a level 1 emergency alert – the highest in China’s four-tier warning system.
Macau International Airport has announced that after 4:00 pm on Tuesday 23 September, flight operations will be significantly reduced, with virtually no flights taking off or landing on Wednesday 24 September.
Source: euronews.com
