The Observatory issued a No 10 signal at 8.15pm on Friday as Saola continued to encroach upon the city.

The Airport Authority said up to 200 passengers were stranded within the restricted area of the airport, while about 100 were left outside the zone.

Staff had distributed supplies between 3.00pm and 4.00pm, including water and biscuits, with another round expected later, Yeung said.

He said the authority would update passengers in stages about flights resuming, in a bid to prevent them from rushing to the airport at the same time.

Hong Kong experts say Saola’s ‘double eyewall’ typical of very strong storms

But Yeung stopped short of giving a timeline, as he said plans could only be made once weather conditions improved.

Some airlines, however, have already indicated their plans to resume operations.

Walter Li, head of Hong Kong International Airport for Cathay Pacific, said it was targeting midday on Saturday for flights in and out of the city to resume.

HK Express was aiming for after 2.00pm, according to Nicolas Wong, its general manager of ground operations.

Hong Kong Airlines said it expected operations to mostly return to normal on Sunday, without giving an exact time.

About 460 flights had been cancelled, the authority said, leaving many disgruntled travellers no choice but to extend their stay in the city.

Edwin Bekoe, a former cabin crew from the US, said his flight home from Hong Kong was unaffected by the typhoon and described communication efforts by airport staff as “perfect”.

“Hong Kong is very efficient. It relayed news about the arrival of a typhoon well ahead,” the 64-year-old said. “The message is loud and clear.”

Bekoe said he had travelled to the city to take in the sights but decided to leave two days early as Saola approached, citing his past experience of chaotic flight arrangements amid adverse weather.

As a former United Airlines employee, he had the option to take empty seats on any of the company’s flights, he said, noting he had asked his hotel to keep his room available for two days in case he was unable to fly home immediately.

But Greek traveller George Kiousis described the decision to delay his flight from Seoul to Hong Kong by one hour and 20 minutes as “disastrous”, and left him unable to catch his connecting flight to Doha and another to Athens.

“We have to arrange our own accommodation,” he said, explaining he had already spent the night at the airport because his flight had arrived at around midnight on Friday.

“Most of the hotels around the area are fully booked,” the 26-year-old shipping industry employee said, expecting he would have to stay up to two nights in the city before resuming his journey.

Kiousis said he was on a business trip with four colleagues who were also stranded and were unsure whether their luggage had been flown out with them.

One of his colleagues, 35-year-old Toutsis Meetios, said no one at Asiana Airlines was offering any solutions to the group despite numerous calls to the company’s hotline over their cancelled flight.

“The airline didn’t even provide us with a bottle of water, food or a hotel,” Meetios said. “We have been waiting here without any information.”

The group said all they could do was continue waiting for word from airline staff.

Meanwhile in South Korea, corporation communication officer Kandice Chan and her friend were among those waiting to fly back to Hong Kong after spending five days in Seoul.

Hong Kong man found safe in Stanley hours before T8 typhoon warning took effect

The duo said their Friday night flight home was cancelled by Korean Air the day before, adding their families had called the company and were verbally offered a journey to Hong Kong on Sunday morning.

While Chan said she was happy to spend some more time in Seoul, she felt slightly concerned about whether getting home would be a smooth process.

“It’s lucky that we have a two-day buffer. We can visit more places now,” the 30-year-old said.

“But we haven’t received any written confirmation yet. I can only assume that we can come back … Even if I cannot head back on Sunday, I think I can still work remotely or take an extra day off on Monday.”

Hong Kong halts stock trading as Super Typhoon Saola approaches

Chan said she planned to arrive at Incheon airport a few hours before her Sunday flight in case of any last-minute changes.

She had paid an extra HK$3,000 (US$382) in hotel fees while she waited, and was unsure whether she could claim back the expenses, she said.