Travel Planner

Flying in Typhoon Conditions

While rain and wind are expected during the typhoon season, so many in a row that causes extreme flooding and damage in Hong Kong, Macau and Japan this year was uncommon. It may be good news for those who got some extra days off, but not for others who need to be on the road and work 24 hours in any circumstances.

As a traveller, do you still need to go to the airport when typhoon 8 in Hong Kong hits? While the observatory authority provides weather updates all the time, there is a very good chance that you will need to go to the airport.

Aircrafts are design to fly safely in extreme conditions and there are many protocols to follow when it comes to carrying passengers above 10,000 feet. Technically, it will be safe to fly in most conditions but it really depends on teh airport and airlines. That is because operating commercial flights involves many supports: engineering, maintenance, ramp handling, ground handling, catering, flight crew, etc. If the public transportation stops in Typhoon 8, it is difficult to get to the airport, including the airport staffs. We are all human being.

Busy airport such as Hong Kong International Airport, it will never be closed but they will ensure that all flights taking off and landing are safe. So it’s the matter of the airlines and they are not all the same. Every airline has a different set up and management as we all know.

I just had to fly from Hong Kong to Fukuoka when the typhoon hit Kyushu, Japan. I got no SMS nor email notice from my airline so I went checked in as planned. My flight was delayed for 5 hours but the good thing was that I went to the intown check-in counter to get my boarding pass. So I went somewhere for a coffee and didn’t go to the airport until later.  The other airline flying to the same destination cancelled their flights. So I still feel lucky to arrive late. It is better late than cancelled because there were pre-paid accommodations, car, and ongoing journey arrangement.

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