Last week's Hurricane Hato and Sunday's Severe Tropical Storm Pakhar saw widespread damage and at least 31 deaths, while disrupting flights as pilots, attempting to land in heavy crosswinds and violent windshear were forced to give up after multiple attempts and redirect to other, calmer airports.
Hong Kong airport saw at least 42 aborted landing attempts between 7am and 7:30pm on Sunday as Pakhar's winds created a nightmare scenario for pilots, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
Flightradar24, a commercial flight tracking website, recorded that several aircraft made two, or even three, attempts to land, but were rebuffed as violent wind gusts tossed 200-ton aircraft like a child's toy.
Several pilots diverted to other locations, including Xiamen, Kaohsiung, Haikou, Manila and Bangkok.
Flight CX616 from Bangkok, after a three-hour flight and one failed attempt to land, simply returned to the Thai capital, according to SCMP.
Some 206 flights were cancelled and an estimated 471 delayed on Sunday, while 50 loaded planes sat on the tarmac in Hong Kong as the city saw its second severe storm in just seven days.
During the beating taken by the region at the hands of Typhoon Hato on Wednesday over 450 flights were cancelled, and widespread damage was recorded throughout the area.
As Sunday's Severe Tropical Storm Pakhar — the second major weather event in the region in just six days — lashed the city, officials advised travelers to be mindful of current conditions.
"Operations are quite severely affected," a city spokesperson said.
