The No 8 Southwest Gale or Storm Signal in Hong Kong was cancelled at 0920 as Typhoon Usagi, which landed in Shanwei in eastern Guangdong at around 8pm last night, further weakened on its path to move across the western Guangdong. The storm signal has been lowered to No 3 before 10am and offices in the city will begin to reopen.
Cathay Pacific Airways has announced that it will gradually resume flight services from 12 noon today if conditions permit, but delays or disruptions can still be expected throughout the day because of adverse weather brought on by the typhoon and operational constraints. The airline advises passengers without confirmed bookings not to go to the Hong Kong airport as chances of securing a seat on a standby basis are low, while those with confirmed bookings are advised not to arrive at the airport more than three hours before the estimated departure time. Updated flight schedules are available on www.cathaypacific.com or www.hongkongairport.com. The airline's earlier offer to waive rebooking fees for those affected remains (see story).
Cathay and its sister airline, Dragonair, are looking into the feasibility of operating additional flights and increasing capacity tomorrow (24 September) to help those passengers stranded as a result of the typhoon. Further details are to be announced once the extra flights and capacity can be confirmed. Updated information for Dragonair is available on www.dragonair.com.
China Airlines' flights CI602 and CI904 from Hong Kong to Taipei, originally scheduled to depart 1015 and 1105 have been cancelled, as is Mandarin Airlines' AE982 originally scheduled to depart from Hong Kong to Kaohsiung at 1010. Updated flight information can be obtained from www.china-airlines.com/ch/temp/index_ty.htm but the site is in Chinese only.
