Typhoon Dolphin Disrupts Hong Kong Flights, Okinawa Travelers Face Supply Shortages
Typhoon Dolphin has grounded numerous flights connecting Hong Kong with mainland China, Taiwan, and Japan, while holidaymakers in Okinawa contend with empty supermarket shelves and the threat of power cuts as the storm moves toward eastern China.
At least 12 flights have been cancelled as the typhoon gradually shifts away from Japan's Okinawa prefecture, according to the South China Morning Post. Affected routes include services to mainland China, Taiwan, and Japan. On Saturday, eight outbound flights from Hong Kong were cancelled, including flights to Okinawa and Ishigaki in Japan, and three to Shanghai on the mainland. Other cancellations targeted flights to Zhoushan and Ningbo on the mainland and Taipei in Taiwan. Arrivals were also hit, with one flight each from Zhoushan, Taipei, Ishigaki, and Okinawa cancelled.
HK Express, Cathay Pacific Airways' budget carrier, said it had cancelled one flight between Hong Kong and Ningbo on Saturday and another on Sunday, while a further flight was rescheduled to Monday due to the storm. All six Okinawa-bound flights scheduled to depart from Hong Kong on Friday were either cancelled or postponed, according to the Hong Kong International Airport's website. HK Express cancelled flights 842, 844, and 824, while Hong Kong Airlines grounded flights 676 and 658.
Catherine Pacific announced it is waiving rebooking, re-routing, and refund charges for eligible travellers booked on flights to or from Fuzhou, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Shanghai, and Wenzhou on the mainland, as well as Taipei in Taiwan.
Meanwhile, holidaymakers already in Okinawa experienced severe storm impacts. Social media images shared by Hong Kong-linked travel accounts showed empty bread shelves in supermarkets and torrential rain across parts of the island. A Cantonese-language Okinawa page posted a photograph of empty shelves and urged visitors, especially those in central and northern areas, to prepare candles and drinking water due to the possibility of electricity and water cuts. Travelers reported varied conditions, with Papa Traveller noting "extremely heavy wind and rain" in northern Okinawa near the Churaumi Aquarium, while Naha in the south temporarily experienced a gap between rainbands. One traveler in Mihama observed calmer conditions, saying two major supermarkets still had supplies and saw no panic buying.
As the typhoon moves away from Okinawa, effects are anticipated in eastern China, with flights cancellations previously associated with the storm. An accommodation and car rental operator told the South China Morning Post that the typhoon had cost his business between 500,000 and 1 million yen.