• The disruption has forced some cargo forwarders to reroute shipments that previously went through Dubai via Bangkok and Singapore, consequently driving up freight rates

Cathay Pacific has extended the suspension of all passenger flights between Hong Kong and the Middle East to the end of May, deepening uncertainty for travellers and businesses that rely on Gulf connections. 

The move affects services to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, which were first halted on February 28 following US-Israeli strikes on Iran and subsequent regional escalation. The airline has now prolonged the suspension at least four times, after earlier extensions to the end of March and then April.

Cathay said it was “monitoring the situation closely” and that safety remained the guiding principle behind route decisions. The carrier has activated an expanded ticket waiver policy, allowing affected passengers to rebook, reroute or seek refunds without penalty, with some waivers currently covering travel through the end of May.

Alternative options via Middle Eastern and Asian hubs remain available, with Emirates, Qatar Airways and others still operating into the Gulf, but analysts say displaced Hong Kong passengers are facing tighter seat availability and longer routings.

Aviation observers note that Cathay’s decision reflects both conflict-related airspace risks over parts of Iraq and Iran and war-driven drops in demand that have made some point-to-point routes commercially marginal. 

Cargo flows have also been affected, with some forwarders diverting shipments that once moved via Dubai through Bangkok and Singapore instead, pushing up rates on those corridors.

Credits: Cathay Pacific

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The carrier said Hong Kong‘s Airport will be closed from 8pm September 23 to 8am on September 25 in a statement, adding that it would contact customers who were affected.

Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific said it expected to cancel more than 500 flights.

“Starting at 6pm tomorrow, September 23, Cathay Pacific’s passenger flights arriving at and departing from Hong Kong International Airport will cease operations until resuming during daytime hours on Thursday,” a spokeswoman for the airline said at a Monday press conference.

Ragasa is crossing the Luzon Strait between southern Taiwan and northern Philippines, and is expected to hit Hong Kong and southern China on Tuesday.

The weather is expected to deteriorate rapidly from Tuesday and gale-force winds will impact the financial hub on Wednesday, with winds expected to reach hurricane force offshore and on high ground.

Across the city, residents started stockpiling daily necessities.

Long queues formed at supermarkets where products like milk had already sold out, while vegetables were being sold for more than triple their normal price at fresh markets, according to Reuters witnesses.

The Education Bureau announced Monday that all schools will be suspended on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The city’s hospital authority said public hospitals have implemented special measures to ensure emergency services are not affected during the storm.

The Civil Aviation Department did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Meanwhile, the nearby Chinese city of Shenzhen is planning a mass evacuation of its residents.

“The city plans to relocate and resettle approximately 400,000 people, including those residing in temporary shelters, low-lying areas, and coastal regions,” a post on Shenzhen’s Emergency Management WeChat account late Sunday said. 

Ragasa lashes the Philippines

More than 10,000 people have sheltered in schools and evacuation centres in the Philippines on Monday as heavy rains and gale-force winds from the super typhoon lashed the country’s far north.

The sparsely populated Babuyan Islands lie about 740 kilometers south of Taiwan, where smaller-scale evacuations were also underway.

Credits: Qantas

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