Many Cathay Pacific aircraft were seen evacuating Hong Kong on Tuesday ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Ragasa.
After finishing its final passenger service before the 36-hour closure of Hong Kong Airport, many aircraft were spotted flying to nearby airports such as Chengdu, Seoul, Nagoya, and others.
The airline has stated that it would be ready to resume service after the storm passes Hong Kong, and this evacuation of its aircraft would aid the airline in doing so.
Strong winds, hail, and heavy rain can damage aircraft significantly and hinder the airline’s ability to return to a full capacity of service after having most of its flights grounded for an extended period of time.
Chengdu, China was a common destination for many Cathay aircraft, including this Airbus A330:
Seoul, South Korea was also a destination for several of its fleet:
More interestingly, a livestream of Nagoya Chubu Centrair Airport showed several Cathay Pacific aircraft parked at remote gates.
The calm Wednesday morning in Nagoya for these Cathay aircraft is a major difference from the damaging winds and heavy rain back home.
Hong Kong airport is scheduled to reopen at 6 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 25. Until then, these Cathay Pacific aircraft will wait for the storm to pass at each of their locations. Hopefully, the airline can return to regular operations quickly.
Featured image by the author.
