HK resumes flights as Typhoon Saola weakens

HONG KONG – The Airport Authority of Hong Kong has said about 480 flights would resume on Saturday, with the first one parting at around 11:15 am, as Super Typhoon Saola is moving away from the city, wreaking havoc by uprooting over 120 trees and flooding at least 18 places.

The Hong Kong Observatory lowered the Typhoon Signal to No 8 at 3:40 am on Saturday. All schools will remain suspended on Saturday.

As of 9 am on Saturday, 505 people sought refuge at 40 temporary shelters, according to the government.

Sixty-three people – 34 men and 29 women – were injured during the storm, it added.

The government also received 123 reports of fallen trees and 18 reports of flooding.

Hong Kong was plunged into a standstill on Friday, with 460 flights grounded, schools and transportation suspended, and trading at the stock exchange halted.

Speaking to the media on Saturday morning, Chapman Fong, deputy director of Airport Operations of Airport Authority Hong Kong, said about 480 flights will resume on Saturday.

He advised the passengers to confirm their flights and arrive at the airport early as the ground transport is yet to fully resume with Typhoon Signal No. 8 still in force.

Many airlines said they had mobilized staff and would arrange more flights to take care of the stranded passengers.

With the weather being unstable, they didn’t rule out the possibility of further delays of some flights.

MTR, the city's sole metro operator, said the train frequencies of Airport Express and the Tung Chung Line have been increased to every 10 minutes.

The service of metro lines serving the urban areas, including the Tuen Ma Line, Tsuen Wan Line, Kwun Tong Line, Island Line and South Island Line, will be maintained at 10 minutes interval.

Trains on the Tseung Kwan O Line and Disneyland Resort Line will arrive at stations every 10 to 20 minutes.

The East Rail Line, a transportation artery that links Hong Kong's downtown areas with Shenzhen, will provide service between Admiralty and Lo Wu at 10 minutes interval, and between Admiralty and Lok Ma Chau at 20 minutes interval.

The high-speed railway service, another major channel for transporting cross-boundary passengers, will remain suspended on Saturday. All trains coming to and from the West Kowloon Station will be halted.

The Light Rail system mainly – serving people living in the northwest regions of Tuen Sun, Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai – will maintains service at a frequency of every 15-20 minutes.