Thai Airways International has canceled three flights to and from Taipei on Thursday and another on Friday due to the approach of Typhoon Kong-rey.
The airline canceled Thursday’s flights TG634 (Bangkok-Taipei), TG636 (Bangkok-Taipei), and TG635 (Taipei-Bangkok), along with Friday’s flight TG637 (Taipei-Bangkok), as announced on its Facebook page.
“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Passengers with bookings on these flights are advised to contact Thai Airways Customer Service at 662-356-1111 for assistance with rebooking or further information,” the statement from the airline read.
As the typhoon approaches, Taiwan has initiated a shutdown, declaring a public holiday, closing financial markets, and canceling hundreds of flights.
Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration forecasts the storm to hit the east coast around 2pm (1pm Thailand time).
Originally a super typhoon, Kong-rey has weakened slightly overnight but still retains the strength of a Category 4 hurricane with wind gusts exceeding 250 kilometers per hour and substantial rainfall, reports Tropical Storm Risk.
Described as a “strong typhoon” by Taiwan’s weather officials, Kong-rey is noted as the most intense typhoon to affect the island since 1996 in terms of size.
Forecasters, including Gene Huang, predict that after impacting the east coast, Kong-rey will continue towards the Taiwan Strait as a significantly weaker storm, advising residents to stay indoors due to the severe winds.
“The size of the storm is very large, and the winds are high,” he noted.
Eastern Taitung county, including Lanyu island where wind speeds have surpassed 260 km/h, has received warnings of destructive winds over 160 km/h after several anemometers were disabled.
Eastern Taiwan anticipates up to 1.2 meters of rainfall and destructive winds along the coast, according to the weather bureau.
In response, Taiwan’s Defence Ministry has mobilized 36,000 troops and evacuated 1,300 residents from areas deemed high risk.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., a leading global chipmaker for clients such as Apple and Nvidia, has implemented standard typhoon readiness procedures across its sites.
The company expects no substantial impact on its operations, as stated in an email.
The Transport Ministry of Taiwan reports that 298 international flights and all domestic flights have been canceled, along with 139 ferry services to and from the islands.
While Taiwan’s high-speed rail system continues to operate, it is running at a reduced capacity. Officials have advised the public to avoid mountainous and coastal regions.
Typhoon Kong-rey is projected to skim along the coast of China’s Fujian province on Friday morning.
Typhoons are common in subtropical Taiwan, with the recent Typhoon Krathon claiming four lives earlier in the month as it passed through the island’s southern part.
