Cathay Pacific cancels flights to New York as winter storm Stella set to barrel through northeast United States
Airline scraps three non-stop flights from city to New York, and three more from the US city to Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific Airways has cancelled all flights to New York ahead of a monster snow storm bearing down on the northeast coast of the United States.
The airline said it had scrapped its services to the John F. Kennedy International Airport on Tuesday, affecting three non-stop flights and another daily flight from Vancouver. From New York, three flights were cancelled. Its Boston flights, meanwhile, have been delayed by 24 hours.
Winter snowstorm Stella is expected to dump as much as 24 inches of snow on an area stretching more than 12 states, with major cities from Boston to New York and Philadelphia likely to be hit. Blizzard conditions will see winds with speeds of up to 120km/h, according to the worst estimates from local forecasters.
The US National Weather Service issued a 24-hour blizzard warning from midnight on Monday (noon on Tuesday Hong Kong time) for New York, expanding north into Connecticut and south into New Jersey. New York and New Jersey have declared a state of emergency.
The disruption is causing chaos for millions of residents and travellers. At most, about 2,750 people, based on the number of seats offered daily between New York, Boston and Hong Kong, would be affected by flight disruptions on Tuesday.