Only one aircraft managed to land this morning 23 August 2017 during Hong Kong’s Typhoon Hato. According to an SCMP report, KLM Royal Dutch Airline’s flight KL887, a Boeing 747-406M (Combi) flying from Amsterdam-Schiphol (AMS), successfully landed during extreme weather conditions. These included winds reaching up to 113 km per hour. Ethiopian Airlines flight ET672 from Addis Ababa (ADD) attempted to land however was unable to do so instead diverting to Xiamen (XMN) in mainland China.

The typhoon was graded a category 10, the highest level issued by the Hong Kong Observatory. It is considered one of the worst the airport has experienced in the twenty years it has been open. The typhoon was named Hato which means pigeon in Japanese.

 Flight Radar app capture of KLM flight KL887 during Typhoon Hato 23 August 2017 – source: SCMP HKG.

Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok airport’s weather conditions are in general considered difficult. The presence of low-level wind-shear can significantly impact take off and landing operations. Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon, the dominant carriers at Hong Kong and home to their hub, cancelled the majority of their flights between 0600 and 1700. Many carriers, such as QANTAS have delayed their departures by up to seven hours in order to be able to land at Hong Kong.

Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong during Typhoon Hato, 23 August 2017 – source: SCMP HKG.