Thai Airways International has suspended three flights to and from Taipei on Thursday and one more on Friday due to the impending arrival of Typhoon Kong-rey.
The following flights were cancelled on Thursday: TG634 (Bangkok-Taipei), TG636 (Bangkok-Taipei), and TG635 (Taipei-Bangkok). Additionally, flight TG637 (Taipei-Bangkok) has been suspended for Friday, as announced by the airline on its Facebook page.
The airline expressed its apologies for any inconvenience caused and encouraged passengers with bookings on these flights to reach out to Thai Airways Customer Service at 662-356-1111 for assistance with rebooking and further information.
In preparation for the storm, Taiwan has initiated shutdown measures, with all cities observing a day off, financial markets closed, and hundreds of flights cancelled.
The storm is anticipated to make landfall on the east coast at approximately 2 PM local time (1 PM Thailand time), according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration.
Kong-rey, which was once categorized as a super typhoon, has slightly weakened overnight but remains formidable, equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane with gusts exceeding 250 kilometers per hour and heavy rainfall, according to Tropical Storm Risk.
Taiwan’s weather authorities have classified the storm as a “strong typhoon,” the highest classification for storms affecting the island, noting that it would be the largest typhoon to hit since 1996. Gene Huang, a forecaster with the administration, indicated that after making landfall, Kong-rey would transition into a less powerful storm as it moves toward the Taiwan Strait. He advised residents to stay indoors due to the intense winds and large storm size.
Destructive wind warnings exceeding 160 km/h have been issued for the eastern county of Taitung, where Lanyu Island experienced gusts over 260 km/h before some wind monitoring devices ceased functioning.
The weather administration predicts up to 1.2 meters of rainfall in eastern Taiwan, with severe winds expected in coastal regions.
Taiwan’s Defence Ministry has placed 36,000 troops on standby and has evacuated 1,300 residents from high-risk zones.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the largest contract chipmaker globally and a key supplier to firms like Apple and Nvidia, has activated its standard typhoon preparation procedures across all factories and construction sites. They stated in an email that they do not foresee significant disruptions to operations.
As per Taiwan’s Transport Ministry, 298 international flights have been cancelled along with all domestic flights and 139 ferry services to outlying islands.
The high-speed rail service in Taiwan, connecting major cities on the populous western plains, is still operational but with reduced service.
The government has advised the public to avoid mountainous and coastal areas.
Kong-rey is expected to brush along the coast of Fujian province in China on Friday morning.
Typhoons frequently affect subtropical Taiwan; the most recent, Typhoon Krathon, resulted in four fatalities earlier this month as it traversed the southern part of the island.
