Super Typhoon Champi disrupts more than 70 flights between Hong Kong and Taiwan

More than 70 flights between Hong Kong and Taiwan have been cancelled ahead of Super Typhoon Champi potentially making landfall on the island later on Friday.

As of noon on Friday, more than 30 flights between the city and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport had been cancelled, according to a South China Morning Post check of the Hong Kong airport’s website.

Nine outbound flights to Kaohsiung International Airport and Taichung International Airport were also cancelled.

The affected flights included services operated by Cathay Pacific Airways, HK Express, Hong Kong Airlines, Starlux Airlines, China Airlines and EVA Air.

More than 30 inbound flights from Taiwan were also cancelled as Champi’s rainbands swept across the island. Torrential downpours and fierce gusts have been forecast.

Despite the storm, a Greater Bay Airlines flight to Taipei and an HK Express flight to Kaohsiung took off on Friday morning.

Cathay Pacific, its budget arm HK Express and Hong Kong Airlines said they would waive ticket change fees for affected passengers.

At noon, Champi – whose name means frangipani in Khmer – was centred about 290km (180 miles) southeast of Taipei. The storm has already caused one death.

The Hong Kong Observatory has forecast it to move north-northwest at about 15 km/h over the seas east of Taiwan.

Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration said the storm’s 320km radius would cover most of the island on Friday. Its peak impact was expected to last through the night before it moved away towards southern Japan late on Saturday.