Typhoon Bavi Weakens to Severe Typhoon, Causes Flight Cancellations in China

Zhoushan airport said in a social media post that 14 flights to and from the island city in Zhejiang province, eastern China, were cancelled for Friday. In Wenzhou, 17 inbound flights have been cancelled.

Multiple airlines – including Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Hainan Airlines – have activated special ticketing help channels and announced fee-waiver rebooking or refund policies.

According to an Air China notice, passengers booked to fly via affected cities, including Quanzhou, Hangzhou and Xiamen, in the next two days can refund their tickets or switch flights without additional fees.

The National Meteorological Centre said on Friday that Bavi has weakened to “severe typhoon” status, with winds at its centre dropping to 45 metres per second as it continues towards China’s coast where it is expected to land between Fuqing in Fujian province and Wenling in Zhejiang.

The forecaster maintained an orange alert, the second-highest in a four-tier system. The former super typhoon is predicted to bring heavy rainfall over the next 24 hours to Taiwan as well as across the Chinese mainland.