Hong Kong International Airport (Kai Tak Airport), Hong Kong

Hong Kong International Airport (Kai Tak Airport), Hong Kong.

Just before the final approach of Kai Tak (HKG) was so close to those buildings that passengers could spot television sets in the apartments as the aircraft banked sharply to the right for landing  nearby apartments that seemed an arm's length away.

Kai Tak is named after two businessmen, Sir Ho Kai and Mr. Au Tak, who were involved in a company formed to reclaim land in Kowloon Bay for a residential housing scheme. The Company, unfortunately, failed and the reclaimed land was left vacant. The suitability of using this land as an airfield was recognized and the first recorded flight from Kai Tak took place on Lunar New Year's Day in 1925.

IATA: HKG

ICAO: VHHH

Opened: 25 January 1925

Closed: 6 July 1998

Operator: Civil Aviation Department

Location: Kowloon, Hong Kong

Elevation AMSL: 9 m / 30 ft

Coordinates: 22°19′43″N 114°11′39″E

Kai Tak Airport was the international airport of Hong Kong from 25^th January, 1925 until 6^th July, 1998 (1997 as British Hong Kong). Officially known as Hong Kong International Airport from 1954 to 1998, it is often referred to as Hong Kong International Airport, Kai Tak or simply Kai Tak and Kai Tak International Airport to distinguish it from its successor, which may be referred to as Chek Lap Kok International Airport, built on reclaimed and levelled land around the islands of Chek Lap Kok and Lam Chau, 30 kilometres (19 mi) to the west.

Kai Tak was located on the east side of Kowloon Bay in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is surrounded by rugged mountains. Less than 4 km (2.5 mi) to the north and northeast of the former runway 13 threshold is a range of hills reaching an elevation of 2,000 ft (610 m). To the east of the former 31 threshold, the hills are less than 3 km (1.9 mi) away. Immediately to the south of the airport is Victoria Harbour, and farther south is Hong Kong Island with hills up to 2,100 ft (640 m).

When Kai Tak closed, there was only one runway in use, numbered 13/31 and oriented southeast–northwest (134/314 degrees true, 136/316 degrees magnetic). The runway was made by reclaiming land from the harbour and was extended several times after its initial construction. The runway was 3,390 m (11,120 ft) long when the airport closed, and 2,529 m (8,297 ft) when it was opened. This runway opened in 1958 and operated until the closure of the airport. Beforehand, in the period of 1945-1955 [citation needed] the airport used a different 13/31 alongside a crossing 07/25. These runways were 4,756 by 231 ft (1,450 by 70 m) and 5,420 by 201 ft (1,652 by 61 m).

At the northern end of the runway at closure, buildings rose up to six stories just across a major multi-lane arterial road. The other three sides of the runway were surrounded by Victoria Harbour. The low-altitude turning man oeuvre before the shortened final approach was so close to these buildings that passengers could spot television sets in the apartments as the aircraft banked sharply to the right for landing the people watching television in the nearby apartments seemed an unsettling arm's length away.

Because of the geography of the area positioning the airport with water on three sides of the runway, aircraft could not fly over the mountains and quickly drop in for a final. For pilots, this airport was technically demanding, as the approach could not be flown by aircraft instruments, but rather visually because of the right-hand turn required. The History Channel Program Most Extreme Airports ranked it as the 6th most dangerous airport in the world. The airport was home to Hong Kong's international carrier Cathay Pacific, as well as regional carrier Dragonair (now known as Cathay Dragon), freight airline Air Hong Kong and Hong Kong Airways. The airport was also home to the former RAF Kai Tak.

History:

In 1924, Harry Abbott opened The Abbott School of Aviation on that piece of land. Soon, it became a small grass strip runway airport for the RAF and several flying clubs which, over time, grew to include the Hong Kong Flying Club, the Far East Flying Training School, and the Aero Club of Hong Kong, which exist today as an amalgamation known as the Hong Kong Aviation Club. The aviation began on this unique piece of land with a flying school and a British military flying unit.

In 1928, a concrete slipway was built for seaplanes using Kowloon Bay.

In 1930, the first aerodrome superintendent was appointed with the aviation activities at Kai Tak coming under the administration of the Harbour Department.

In 1935, the first control tower and a hangar were built. The first commercial passengers flight 'Dorado' landed on 24 March 1936 from Penang operated by the Imperial Airways. With this arrival a new era began for Kai Tak as an airport for public transportation.

In the following years, Pan American World Airways began its Clipper flying boat service between Hong Kong and San Francisco. Other air services followed with Air France flights from Indochina, China National Aviation Corporation from Guangzhou and Shanghai and Eurasia Aviation Corporation operating between Hong Kong and Beijing.

The World War II (1941-1945)

During the Second World War a second runway was built by the Japanese during their occupation. However, the Airport was severely damaged by bombing. After the war, a local airline, the Cathay Pacific Airways began operations with DC3 aircraft.

The Civil Aviation Department was established on 1 May 1946 charged with the responsibility of administering the air services activities of the territory.

In the 1970s an aircraft crash called attention to the potential loss of life in the high-density residential developments around the airport, though there were no serious accidents.

Opening Flight:

The first scheduled air service arrived at Kai Tak on 24 March 1936

 

Closing Flight:

On 6 July 1998 at 01:28, after the last aircraft departed for Chek Lap Kok, Kai Tak was finally retired as an airport. The final flights were:

The last arrival: Dragonair KA841 from Chongqing (Airbus A320-200) landed Runway 13 at 23:38 (11:38pm).

The last scheduled commercial flight: Cathay Pacific CX251 to London–Heathrow (Boeing 747-400) took off from Runway 13 at 00:02 (12:02am).

The last departure: Cathay Pacific CX3340 ferry flight to the new airport at Chek Lap Kok (Airbus A340-300) took off from Runway 13 at 01:05 (1:05am).

Terminals and Facilities:

The Kai Tak airport consisted of a linear passenger terminal building with a car park attached at the rear. There were eight boarding gates attached to the terminal building.

A freight terminal was located on the south side of the east apron and diagonally from the passenger terminal building.

Due to the limited space, the fuel tank farm was located between the passenger terminal and HAECO maintenance facilities (hangar).

The Milestone of Kai Tak:

In 1996, the Kai Tak Airport reached an important milestone when it handled 29.5 million international passengers and 1.56 million tonnes of international cargo making it the third busiest Airport in the world for international passengers and first in the world for international cargo throughput in the world.

Source: cad.gov.hk; wikipedia