Qantas has suspended all flights to Hong Kong for 36 hours as the territory braces for a super typhoon.

Hong Kong airport, a major travel hub for Asia, will be shut down for at least two days in preparation for the impact of Super Typhoon Ragasa, expected to be one of the strongest storms this year.

Qantas said Hong Kong’s Airport would be closed from 8pm on Tuesday to 8am on Thursday. The carrier said it would contact customers who were impacted.

Hong Kong is a major travel hub for Asia and passengers heading for European destinations.

Ragasa brought winds speeds of up to 295km/h when it slammed into the northern Philippines on Monday.

The giant storm was heading west and forecast to remain in the South China Sea at least into Wednesday while passing south of Taiwan and Hong Kong before landfall on the Chinese mainland.

While Hong Kong airport is expected to remain open, authorities said flights would be significantly reduced late on Tuesday and most flight operations would be affected on Wednesday.

Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific Airways said passenger flights scheduled to depart and arrive in the city after 6pm today will be suspended, with more than 500 flight cancellations expected.

It said it expected flights to gradually resume from early Thursday.

Other Hong Kong-based airlines announced their flights would be disrupted, including budget airline HK Express, which reported a cancellation of over 100 flights between Tuesday and Thursday.

Ragasa is expected to bring torrential rains and heavy winds to China’s mainland coastal areas, starting on Tuesday.