Hong Kong airlines cancel Taiwan and Okinawa flights as Super Typhoon Champi approaches

Hong Kong’s aviation sector moved swiftly this morning, 22 October 2026, to protect passengers and crews from Super Typhoon Champi, which is churning across the Philippine Sea toward Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands. Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Express and Hong Kong Airlines announced blanket cancellations of all flights to Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung and Okinawa scheduled for 23-24 October, and warned that services to Shanghai Pudong on 24-25 October may also be scrubbed if the storm tracks farther north. Cathay Pacific published a flexible-booking policy allowing travellers holding tickets issued on or before 21 October to rebook or reroute once without fee for travel up to 31 December 2026. The carrier urged customers to register for SMS or e-mail flight alerts and to monitor the airline’s flight-status page before heading to the airport. Hong Kong Express circulated an extensive list of axed flights, offering free date changes within two weeks of the original departure or full refunds for unused sectors. Hong Kong Airlines cancelled today’s Okinawa rotation (HX 658/659) and tomorrow’s entire Taiwan programme, activating its online “special ticketing arrangement” portal to handle rebooking and refunds. The Hong Kong Airport Authority said runway operations remain normal but advised passengers to arrive at least three hours before departure and to expect longer queues at airline transfer desks as travellers are re-accommodated. Cargo operators have begun securing ground equipment and will suspend acceptance of live animals and perishables this evening, a step that logistics managers should factor into supply-chain planning. Super Typhoon Champi’s sustained winds of 230 km/h were recorded 1,350 km east-southeast of Hong Kong at 02:00 HKT, according to the Hong Kong Observatory. Forecasters expect the system to weaken slightly but to skirt eastern Taiwan late Friday before veering toward Kyushu. Although Hong Kong is unlikely to experience gales, heavy rain bands may disrupt ground transport and baggage handling, and airlines prefer to reposition aircraft out of harm’s way in advance. For corporate mobility managers the next 48 hours will be critical: travellers with onward meetings in East Asia should explore rerouting via Seoul, Manila or Singapore, while assignees expecting to enter Hong Kong through the newly opened Huanggang joint-clearance channels should keep an eye on land-boundary checkpoint bulletins. Experience from past storms suggests that once the typhoon clears, carriers will mount additional “recovery” flights, but premium-cabin inventory will be scarce—prompt booking is advised.