Multiple global airlines have been forced to cancel flights to Hong Kong as Super Typhoon Ragasa approaches the international aviation hub.
On September 22, 2025, Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) announced a 36-hour lockdown fearing the impact of the huge storm already sweeping through Southeast Asia.
Ahead of the airport’s closure at 18:00, local time on September 23, 2025, some of the largest airlines in the world have already begun to cancel flights and provide their customers with alternative travel options.
On September 23, 2025, the UAE flag carrier Emirates announced it was cancelling eight flights between Dubai and Hong Kong over the next three days.
Additionally, Emirates said it would cancel shuttle flights between Hong Kong and Bangkok on September 23 and 24, 2025.
Prior to the official airport closure the arrivals and departures board shows that airlines including British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Qantas, Air India, Air New Zealand and Qatar Airways have all cancelled flights due to the threat of Super Typhoon Ragasa.
American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Gulf Air, Bangkok Airways, Ethiopian Airlines and KLM also have cancelled flights listed before the airport’s closure.
It is estimated that more than 700 flights to and from Hong Kong Airport in total are expected to be cancelled over the next two days.
Commenting on the situation Air India said: “Flight AI314 (Delhi–Hong Kong, 23 Sept) and AI315 (Hong Kong–Delhi, 24 Sept) stand cancelled due to the adverse weather forecast from Typhoon Ragasa in Hong Kong.
“We regret the inconvenience caused by this situation beyond our control. Passengers are being offered full refunds or a one-time complimentary rescheduling in the same class. Operations to and from Hong Kong will resume once conditions permit safe flying.”
Impact on China
China is also bracing for the impact of Super Typhoon Ragasa with the closure of infrastructure including schools and businesses in the country’s southern areas.
As well as flights to and from Hong Kong, Emirates also confirmed it had cancelled flights between Dubai and Shenzhen on September 23, 2025.
Korean Air also warned that flights to Shenzhen, Macau and Guangzhou could also face cancellation.
Super Typhoon Ragasa has already made landfall in the Philippines although the impact of the storm was slightly less than had been anticipated.
In its latest update the Hong Kong Observatory said that Super Typhoon Ragasa was around 211 miles southeast of Hong Kong.
The storm is forecast to move west-northwest at about 14 miles per hour “edging closer to the vicinity of the Pearl River Estuary to the coast of western Guangdong”.
Ragasa will maintain super typhoon intensity and is predicted to be closest to the airport vicinity during the morning of September 24, 2025.
According to the BBC, Super Typhoon Ragasa packed wing speeds of 117mph at its peak on September 22, 2025.
