HONG KONG • Airlines across the region cancelled hundreds of flights as Super Typhoon Mangkhut slammed into the Philippines yesterday and was set to disrupt travel from Hong Kong to Japan.

According to live updates on the Changi Airport website, four flights departing for the Philippines, Shenzhen and Hong Kong were delayed or cancelled yesterday.

At least another 28 flights - mostly heading to Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou and Shenzhen - will be delayed or cancelled today due to Mangkhut.

Cathay Pacific Airways cancelled more than 400 flights over the next three days and warned of "serious disruptions" for air travellers as Mangkhut approached Hong Kong.

The airline had earlier said it was cancelling all flights in and out of Hong Kong today starting at 2.30am, and would not resume operations until 4am tomorrow.

AirAsia Group had cancelled at least 22 flights as of yesterday morning, upsetting travellers from Manila to Shenzhen and Macau, according to a Facebook post. Philippine Airlines scrapped 41 flights yesterday, including those to Hangzhou and Tokyo, it said on Facebook.

Mangkhut, which is being called the world's most powerful storm this year, ripped into the northern Philippines yesterday as a Category 5 storm, packing winds of more than 200kmh.

In southern China, ferry services in Qiongzhou Strait were halted yesterday as Mangkhut approached the provinces of Hainan and Guangdong, the local authorities said.

BLOOMBERG, XINHUA

• Additional reporting by Janice Tai