Travellers return to Hong Kong airport as flights resume after Ragasa disruptions

Air travellers have been flocking to Hong Kong’s airport after powerful typhoon Ragasa lashed the city, with staff members setting up extra crowd control measures and passengers largely satisfied with the resumption arrangements.

Outbound flights resumed at 6am on Thursday, after disruptions since 6pm on Tuesday forced some passengers to adjust their plans.

The Airport Authority earlier said it anticipated having to clear a backlog of more than 1,000 flights affecting about 140,000 passengers, while Cathay Pacific Airways said around 85,000 of its customers were affected.

Although airport operations were largely smooth on Thursday morning, some visitors, such as retiree Teresa Whitbourn, said the typhoon had soured their experience of the city.

She and three companions, including her husband and sister, were originally scheduled to fly back to London Heathrow on Wednesday via Cathay Pacific, but their flight was cancelled as airlines grounded most services when Ragasa was closest to Hong Kong.

“At first, our flight got changed to October 3,” she said. “Then it got changed to October 1 and we did not accept that flight … Eventually we got it [on Thursday].”