Typhoon Matmo disrupts holiday travel, forces closures in China | International

BEIJING, Oct 4, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Chinese authorities will cancel flights and close businesses on Saturday as Typhoon Matmo hurtles towards the country's southern Hainan and Guangdong provinces during the busy National Day travel period. According to China's National Meteorological Centre (NMC), Matmo is expected to make landfall on Sunday morning, the middle of an eight-day public holiday when many domestic tourists flock to tropical Hainan Island. All flights at Meilan International Airport in Haikou, Hainan's provincial capital, are scheduled to be cancelled from 11 pm (1500 GMT) on Saturday, state media outlet Xinhua said. The airport was originally expected to handle more than 632,000 passengers between October 1 to 8 for the combined National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday,...