New | Holiday travel snarls expected as winter storms hit Britain, Canada
Several Hong Kong flights to and from Canada already delayed, while further disruption expected as major storm moves towards Britain
Two major Hong Kong holiday destinations are bracing for extensive travel disruption as storms wreak havoc during the peak Christmas holidays, affecting thousands of people.
Two Hong Kong-bound flights that departed from Toronto on Sunday are five and a half hours behind schedule, according to Flight Stats, due to adverse weather conditions. Air Canada flight AC 15 is due to arrive at 7pm on Monday and Cathay Pacific flight CX 825 will arrive at 11.30pm.
Passenger Ongio Tsui took to Twitter to vent his frustration at his delayed arrival in Hong Kong. “Yay, more delays,” he said, adding, “Bloody hell can we just push back already.”
Robin Hutchinson, who flew home to Toronto from Hong Kong, found a city plunged in blackouts and thick ice.
“[Fifteen-hour] flight from Hong Kong, [I] come home to no power and ice storm in #TO [Toronto]. Welcome home to me I suppose! Ice-covered trees are kind of pretty though,” she said.
A major snow and ice storm moving across central and eastern Canada has already left almost half a million homes without power, including Toronto and Montreal, after power lines buckled under the strain.