The Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) said on Wednesday afternoon that Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) will gradually restore full-capacity operations starting from 6 am on Thursday, with about 1,000 flights expected to be handled throughout the day.

AAHK said that although Super Typhoon Ragasa is moving away from Hong Kong, the airport is still affected by strong winds. There will be no passenger flight services before midnight due to safety concerns.

The airport will gradually resume normal operations starting at 6 am on Thursday, with the AAHK continuing to implement flight scheduling arrangements until the evening. The authority estimates that the airport will be extremely busy over the coming two days and is urging passengers to confirm flight conditions with airline companies before departing for the airport.

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Over the past two days, about 140,000 passengers have been affected by flight disruptions.

Around 13 HK Express flights will arrive at the airport between midnight and 6 am on Thursday, and the carrier will run 12 flights departing from Hong Kong before 8 am. The first flight is expected to set out to Clark in the Philippines at 6:35 am.

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A total of 104 Hong Kong Airlines flights have been affected by Ragasa. The airline is expected to resume 70 flights starting from 6 am on Thursday. A flight from Canada’s Vancouver is set to arrive in Hong Kong at 6 am, although this schedule could change depending on weather conditions, a representative from the airline said.

Contact the writer at atlasshao@chinadailyhk.com