Qantas has suspended all flights to Hong Kong as the local airport shuts down ahead of an incoming super typhoon.

Hong Kong has announced a 36-hour airport shutdown from Tuesday night, while Macau and Zhuhai are bracing for impact from Super Typhoon Ragasa, with school closures and evacuation plans also under way.

Qantas said Hong Kong’s airport would close from 10pm AEST on September 23 to 6pm AEST on September 25. It said it would contact affected customers.

About 700 flights have been disrupted.

In Hong Kong, long queues formed at supermarkets where products like milk had already sold out, while vegetables were being sold for more than triple their usual price at fresh markets, according to Reuters witnesses.

Super Typhoon Ragasa is the world’s most powerful tropical typhoon of 2025.

Packing hurricane-force winds of up to 220km/h, it was edging closer to the coast of neighbouring southern Guangdong province in China on Tuesday, the Hong Kong Observatory said.

Authorities in the financial hub were expected to raise the typhoon signal to 8, its third highest, by Tuesday afternoon, which will prompt most businesses and transport services to shut down.

The observatory said it would assess if it needs to issue a higher warning late on Tuesday or early Wednesday.

Ragasa swept through the northern Philippines on Monday, prompting President Ferdinand Marcos jr to order the country’s disaster response agency to go on full alert and mobilise all government agencies.

The Hong Kong Observatory said hurricane-force winds offshore and on high ground were likely in Hong Kong on Wednesday, with heavy rain expected to lead to a significant storm and sea surge in the densely packed city.

It warned of rising sea levels, which it said would be similar to those seen during Typhoon Hato in 2017 and Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018, both of which caused billions of dollars in damage.

Water levels will rise about two metres along Hong Kong’s coastal areas and could reach up to five metres in some areas, the observatory said, urging residents to take appropriate precautions.

Local authorities handed out sandbags on Monday for residents to bolster their homes in low-lying areas, while many people stockpiled daily necessities.

Hong Kong’s Stock Exchange will remain open.

It changed its policy in late 2025 to continue trading whatever the weather.

Chinese authorities have activated flood control measures in several southern provinces, warning of heavy rain from late on Tuesday.

Residents in the world’s largest gambling hub of Macau are also bracing for significant impact, with school closures and evacuation plans under way.

In China’s technology hub Shenzhen, authorities said they have prepared more than 800 emergency shelters.

Taiwan’s government has evacuated more than 7600 people from mountainous southern and eastern areas, while transport disruption continued for a second day on Tuesday with 273 flights cancelled and some rail services suspended.

-with AAP