Can you fly in a typhoon? Here’s how airlines and airports decide
These are the factors that help determine if flights are delayed, cancelled or go ahead during tropical storms like Merbok
According to some airlines and the Hong Kong Airport Authority, wind speed and direction are crucial during conditions such as thunderstorms, lightning and fog.
When faced with adverse weather conditions that make air travel unsafe, the Hong Kong International Airport operates an emergency centre for coordinating all necessary contingency measures including flight rescheduling and crowd management.
As of 5am on Tuesday, almost 400 flights were disrupted, with 44 flights cancelled and 350 flights delayed as Merbok approached and finally hit the city on Monday night.
Because the airport handles 68 flight movements per hour and 1,160 flights a day, storms like this pose a great challenge for staff, who have to handle flight disruptions at a total of 182 parking stands.