A Dragonair jet aborted a second landing within metres of touchdown at Chek Lap Kok as cross-winds from Typhoon Maggie forced 11 flights to other airports.
The flight chaos, caused by a change in Maggie's direction, has renewed fears over windshear problems at the airport which officials boast has the most advanced turbulence warning system in the world.
Conditions at Chek Lap Kok changed dramatically with the wind coming from the south on Monday night. The No 3 storm signal was raised at 12.45am, 10 hours after all previous signals were lowered.
The Dragonair Airbus 320 from Phuket with 128 passengers and crew on board was making its second approach when the pilot aborted just seconds before landing.
Yesterday, holidaymakers on flight KA213, who were stranded in Shenzhen for more than 12 hours, returned to Hong Kong on another Dragonair flight.
Civil Aviation Department officials last night admitted it was the first time landings had been tested by such conditions since the airport opened on July 6 last year.