Airport traffic recovers to 80pc of normal day after typhoon Yagi

The Airport Authority Hong Kong said it has activated the Flight Rescheduling Control System to coordinate the orderly recovery of flights on Friday - and by noon, 778 landing and departing slots have been assigned for the whole day, around 80 percent of that of a normal day.

The authority said flight operations at Hong Kong International Airport during Super Typhoon Yagi have remained largely smooth.

It said the activation of the Airport Emergency Centre has enabled different companies and organizations across the airport community, including government departments and airlines, to maintain close communication.

The Queue Ticket System for taxis has been implemented at the airport after No 8 typhoon signal was issued, facilitating passengers to obtain queue numbers via ticket machines or the mobile app.

Under this arrangement, passengers would not need to stand in the queue waiting for taxis. A temporary rest area has also been set up in the terminal, providing 500 chairs, mobile charging stations and other facilities.

The authority said the Passenger Care Team has been deployed at the terminal, distributing supplies to passengers such as dry foodstuffs, bottled water and blankets.

Meanwhile, to ensure that the airport has sufficient staff to handle flights this morning, the authority said over 1,000 airport staff stayed at the airport last night, with over 500 staff spending the night at two Airport Authority rest centers. The authority also provided a staff shuttle bus service between Tung Chung and the airport.