Hong Kong International Airport, popularly known as Kai Tak Airport (Chinese 啟德機場 Pinyin: Qǐdé, WG: Ch'i-te) was the international airport of Hong Kong until July 6, 1998. Having the IATA airport code HKG as well as the ICAO airport code VHHH, both of which were taken over as codes for the new airport of the same name, the famous airport served as Cathay Pacific's, Dragonair's and Air Hong Kong's hub. It also has the ICAO code VHKT as the RAF air base. July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ... A mile is any of several units of distance, or, in physics terminology, of length. ... The International Air Transport Association is an international trade organization of airlines headquarted in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ... The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an agency of the United Nations, develops the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. ... Pinyin (拼音, pÄ«nyÄ«n) literally means join (together) sounds (a less literal translation being phoneticize, spell or transcription) in Chinese and usually refers to HànyÇ” PÄ«nyÄ«n (汉语拼音, literal meaning: Han language pinyin), which is a system of romanization (phonemic notation and transcription to Roman script) for Standard Mandarin. ... Wade-Giles, sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a Romanization (phonetic notation and transliteration) system for the Chinese language based on Mandarin. ... July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... An IATA airport code, known by the IATA as an IATA location identifier or, simply, a location identifier [1], is a three-letter alphabetic code designating many airports around the world. ... The ICAO airport code is a four-letter alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. ... The Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) (IATA: HKG, ICAO: VHHH) (Chinese: 香港國際機場, Jyutping: hoeng1 gong2 gwok3 zai3 gei1 coeng4, pinyin: XiānggÇŽng Guójì JÄ«chÇŽng) on the island of Chek Lap Kok, which opened for commercial operations in 1998, is a component of Hong Kong’s economy, serving... Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (國泰航空有限公司 Pinyin (in Mandarin Chinese):Guótài Hángkōng Yŏuxiàn GōngsÄ«, abbreviated 國泰) HKSE: 0293 is an Asian commercial airline based in Hong Kong. ... Alternative meanings: There is also an Dragon-type Pokémon named Dragonair. ... Air Hong Kong (香港華民航空) is the only all-cargo airline based in Hong Kong. ... RAF Kai Tak was a Royal Air Force station in Hong Kong. ...

Geographic environment

Kai Tak was located in the north of Kowloon Bay in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The vicinity was surrounded by rugged mountains. Less than 10 km to the north and northeast was a range of hills reaching an altitude of 2000 ft. To the east of the runway, the hills were less than 5 km away. Immediately to the south of the airport was the Victoria Harbour, and further south was Hong Kong Island with hills up to 1700 ft. There was only one runway at Kai Tak, oriented at 135 degrees and 315 degrees, hence its name 13/31. The runway was made by reclaiming land from the harbour and had been extended several times since its initial construction. Final length of the runway was 3390m. Kowloon Bay (九龍灣) is a bay located at the north east of the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. ... Location within China In modern day Hong Kong, Kowloon (九龍; Cantonese IPA:; Jyutping: gau2 lung4; Mandarin Pinyin: Jiǔlóng; lit. ...

Landing at Kai Tak could be both challenging and spectacular. Depending on the landing direction, the aircraft might need to pass over densely populated areas in Kowloon at low altitude. At the northern end of the runway, buildings up to 6 storeys tall rose just across the road. The other three sides of the runway were surrounded by the harbour. Aircraft were literally landing in the harbour within the city; some passengers claimed they could even see the flicker of televisions through apartment windows as they landed.

As well as the difficult and potentially dangerous landing, Hong Kong's growth stretched the airport's capacity. The airport was designed to handle 24 million passengers per year but it typically went over 28 million, plus 1.5 million tonnes of freight during its final years. The airport ran out of landing slots and parking bays, and flights had to be turned away. Moreover, the clearance requirements for aircraft takeoffs and landings enforced a limit on the height of the buildings that could be built on expensive Kowloon real estate. The airport caused serious noise pollution for nearby residents. A night curfew from midnight to about 6:30 in the early morning also hindered operations.

As a result, in the late 1980s, the Hong Kong Government began searching for alternative locations for a new airport in Hong Kong to replace the ageing airport. After deliberating on a number of locations including the southside of Hong Kong Island the government settled for the island of Chek Lap Kok off Lantau Island. A huge number of resources were mobilised to build this new airport; part of ten programmes in Hong Kong's Airport Core Programme. The airport officially opened on 6 July 1998; and in a remarkable testament to logistical planning, all airport supplies and vehicles were transported to Chek Lap Kok in one early morning with a single massive move, after the last plane touched down at Kai Tak at 1:28 am, and before the first plane arrived at 6:25 am. Kai Tak was subsequently retired, transferring its IATA Airport Code to the replacement airport at Chek Lap Kok. On July 1, 1997, the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) resumed its exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong, ending more than 150 years of British colonial control. ... Hong Kong Island (香港島, colloquially the Island side) is the island where the colonial settlement of the Hong Kong territory, Victoria City, was founded. ... Chek Lap Kok (Chinese: 赤鱲角; Jyutping: cek3 laap6 gok3; Cantonese IPA: ; Pinyin: Chìliè Jiǎo; Red Perch Cape) is an island in the western waters of Hong Kong. ... Airport Core Programme was a series of infrastructural works organised by the Government of Hong Kong during the 1990s. ... July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...

History

The story of Kai Tak started in 1924. The location of Kai Tak belonged to two plutocrats Ho Kai and Au Tak, who owned the land before the government acquired it (the land originally did not have a name), which explains the name of the airport. First planned as an estate site, the land was given to the government after the plan failed. Soon, it became a small airport for the Royal Air Force, flying clubs and pilot training centre. 1924 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the UK Armed Forces. ...

In 1936, the first domestic airline in Hong Kong was established.

Hong Kong fell into the hands of the Japanese in 1941 during World War II. In 1943 the Japanese army extended Kai Tak and built an additional runway which extended across Clear Water Bay Road. During the process, they destroyed the historic wall of the Kowloon Walled City, as well as the 45 m (148 ft) tall Sung Wong Toi — a memorial for the last Song dynasty emperor. Japan surrendered shortly after the completion of the second runway in 1945. 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atom bomb World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th-century conflict that engulfed much of the... 1943 is a common year starting on Friday. ... The Kowloon Walled City (九龍城寨, originally known as 九龍寨城) was an interesting anomaly in Hong Kongs colonial history. ... Sung Wong Toi (宋王臺 Sung3 Wong4 Toi4) was an important historic relic in Hong Kong. ... The Song Dynasty (Chinese: 宋朝) was a ruling dynasty in China from 960-1279. ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

An official plan to modify Kai Tak to a modern airport was released in 1954. In 1957, the original runways were replaced by a new NW/SE heading 2194 m runway extending into the Kowloon Bay completed by land reclamation. The runway was extended to 2529 m in 1970 and again to 3390 m in 1975. In 1962, the passenger terminal was completed and Kai Tak became an international airport. 1954 was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1957 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Kowloon Bay (九龍灣) is a bay located at the north east of the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. ... Land reclamation is either of two distinct practices. ... 1970 was a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1975 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... 1962 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

An Instrument Guidance System (IGS) was installed in 1974 to aid landing on runway 13. Utilization of the airport under adverse conditions was greatly increased.

At its beginning, Kai Tak was "far away" from residental areas, but as both residental areas and the airport expanded, Kai Tak became too close to the residental areas. There were many talks about a new airport but no plan really worked out due to various reasons. Finally in 1990, to boost the confidence of the population in the future of Hong Kong after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, the Hong Kong government decided to go ahead with the so-called "Rose Garden Plan" of which the Chek Lap Kok International Airport was the centrepiece. 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Unknown Rebel — This famous photo, taken by Associated Press photographer Jeff Widener, depicts a lone protester (Wang Wei Lin, who survived, but was executed 2 weeks later) whose actions halted the progress of a column of advancing tanks for over half an hour. ...

On July 7, 1998 at 1:28 am, Kai Tak was finally retired as an airport. The passenger terminal was eventually transformed into government offices, automobile dealerships, a go kart racecourse, snooker, recreational facilities, a bowling alley, car sales showrooms and a golf range. By December 2003 and January 2004, the passenger terminal was dismantled. July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... A kart racer takes a turn on an indoor track Kart racing (as the word is so spelled by enthusiasts) or karting is a variant of open-wheeler motor sport with simple, small four-wheeled vehicles called karts, go-karts, or gearbox/shifter karts depending on the design. ... Snooker table Snooker is a billiards sport that is played on a large (12 X 6) baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long cushions. ... 2003(MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Many aviation enthusiasts were upset at the demise of Kai Tak because of the unique approach. As private aviation is not allowed at Chek Lap Kok, some enthusiasts had lobbied to keep around 1 km of the Kai Tak runway for general aviation. General aviation (GA) encompasses all aviation other than scheduled airline flights and military aviation. ...

The 13 approach

On this satellite photo, the narrow strip of land in the North East extending into the sea is the runway of Kai Tak. To the North, East and South are mountains.

The landing approach using runway 13 at Kai Tak was spectacular and world-famous. To land on runway 13, an aircraft first took a descent heading northeast. The aircraft would pass over the crowded harbour, and then the very densely populated areas on Western Kowloon. This leg of the approach was guided by an IGS (Instrument Guidance System, a modified ILS) after 1974. Upon reaching a small hill marked with a checkerboard in red and white, the pilot needed to make a 47° visual right turn to line up with the runway and complete the final leg. The aircraft would be just two nautical miles from touchdown, at a height of less than 1000 ft when the turn was made. Typically the plane would enter the final right turn at the height of about 650 ft and exit it at the height of 140 ft to line up with the runway. Landing the 13 approach would become even more challenging when crosswinds from the northeast were strong and gusty during typhoons. From a spectator's point of view, watching fully-loaded Boeing 747s banking at low altitudes and taking big crab angles during their final approaches was quite the thrill. Despite the difficulty, it was nonetheless used most of the time due to the prevailing wind direction in Hong Kong. Another challenge for the landing is the relatvely short runway for large aircraft and also the location and orientation of the runway, which extends from Kowloon City into Kowloon Bay, with 3 sides surrounded by water. Consequently, aircraft must land accurately at the landing spot at where the runway starts or face the risk of overrunning the runway and end up in the sea. Hong Kong Landsat pic A simulated-color satellite image of the Victoria Harbour and the former Hong Kong Kai Tak Airport, both in Hong Kong, taken on NASAs Landsat 7. ... Hong Kong Landsat pic A simulated-color satellite image of the Victoria Harbour and the former Hong Kong Kai Tak Airport, both in Hong Kong, taken on NASAs Landsat 7. ... 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ...

Accidents

Despite its challenging approach and mountainous geographical surroundings, there were relatively few accidents at Kai Tak. Some of the most serious accidents at Kai Tak during its seventy years of service were:

• 21 December 1948 - A Douglas DC-4 of Civil Air Transport struck Basalt Island after a descent through clouds. 33 were killed.

• 24 February 1949 - A Douglas DC-3 of Cathay Pacific crashed into a hillside near Braemar Reservoir after aborting an approach in poor visibility and an attempt to go around. 24 were killed.

• 11 March 1951 - A Douglas DC-4 of the Pacific Overseas Airlines crashed after take off into the hills between Mount Butler and Mount Parker on the Hong Kong Island. The Captain of the aircraft allegedly failed to execute the turn left operation after departure. 23 were killed.

• 09 April 1951 - A Douglas DC-3 of Siamese Airways lost control on its turn while attempting a night-time visual approach. The captain allegedly allowed the aircraft to lose flying speed while attempting to turn quickly. 16 were killed.

• 24 August 1965 - A US Marines Lockheed Hercules C-130 lost control shortly after take off from runway 13. The plane plunged and sank into the harbour. 59 of the 71 soldiers on board were killed. This was the deadliest accident at Kai Tak.

• 30 June 1967 - A Thai Airways International Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III crashed into the sea while landing during a typhoon. The co-pilot, who was flying the aircraft, allegedly made an abrupt heading change, causing the aircraft to enter into a high rate of descent and a crash into the sea short of the runway. 24 were killed.

• 2 September 1977 - A Canadair CL-44 of Transmeridian Air Cargo lost control and crashed into the sea on fire shortly after take-off. The no. 4 engine was said to have failed, causing an internal fire in the engine and the aircraft fuel system that eventually resulted in a massive external fire. 4 were killed.

• 9 March 1978 - A hijacker boarded a China Airlines Boeing 737-200, demanding to be taken to China. The hijack lasted less than a day, and the hijacker was taken down.

• 18 October 1983 - A Lufthansa Boeing 747 freighter abandoned take off after engine #2 malfunctioned, probably at speed exceeding V1 (the takeoff/abort decision point). The aircraft overran the runway onto soft ground and sustained severe damage. 3 were injured.

• 31 August 1988 - The rigt outboard flap of a China CAAC Hawker Siddeley Trident hit approach lights of runway 31 while landing under rain and fog. The right main landing gear then struck a lip and collapsed, causing the aircraft to run off the runway and slip into the harbour. 7 were killed.

Date: November 4, 1993, China Airlines 605 (Photographer: Unknown)

• 4 November 1993 - A China Airlines Boeing 747-409 overran the 13 runway while landing during a typhoon. The wind was gusting to gale force at the time. Despite the plane's unstable approach the captain did not go around. It touched down more than 2/3 down the runway and was unable to stop before the runway ran out.

• 23 September 1994 - A Lockheed Hercules lost control shortly after take off from runway 13. The pitch control system of one of its propellers was said to have failed. 6 were killed.

(If Project Bojinka had not been discovered after a fire in Manila, Philippines, one or more aircraft owned by a U.S. carrier/s flying from this airport might have blown up over the Pacific Ocean on January 21, 1995 as part of the project's first phase.) December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1948 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... February 24 is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1949 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... 11 March is the 70th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (71st in Leap year). ... 1951 was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... 1951 was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... August 24 is the 236th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (237th in leap years), with 129 days remaining. ... 1965 was a common year starting on Friday (link goes to calendar). ... June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 184 days remaining, and the last day of June. ... 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 2 is the 245th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (246th in leap years). ... 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ... March 9 is the 68th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (69th in Leap years). ... 1978 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... October 18 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in Leap years). ... 1983 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The term V1 can refer to: The V-1 flying bomb, the first modern cruise missile, developed by the German Luftwaffe during the Second World War Decision speed, where an aircraft pilot must opt to abort the take-off or continue the run for lift-off at V2 speed. ... August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining, as the final day of August. ... 1988 is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Date: November 4, 1993 Airline: China Airlines Flight No. ... Image File history File links Date: November 4, 1993 Airline: China Airlines Flight No. ... November 4 is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 57 days remaining. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... September 23 is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years). ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Oplan Bojinka (also known as Operation Bojinka, Project Bojinka, Bojinka Plot, Bojinga, from Arabic: بجنكة – slang in many dialects for explosion and pronounced Bo-JIN-ka, except in Egyptian where it is Bo-GIN-ka) was a planned large-scale attack on airliners in 1995, and was a precursor to... For other meanings of the word, see Manila (disambiguation). ... ... January 21 is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

(The world's first commercial plane hijacked, a Catalina operated by a Cathay Pacific subsidiary, was also bound to Hong Kong. Shortly after take-off in Macao on July 16, 1948, four armed hijackers entered the cockpit. The hijackers shot the pilot, whose wounded body fell onto the control stick, causing the plane to crash into the sea. 26 were killed; only the hijack leader survived.)

Future plans for the site

Currently the harbour-facing tip of the runway is used as a golf driving range.

There are plans for the site of Kai Tak to be used for housing development, which was once projected to house around 240,000-340,000 residents. Due to calls from the public to protect the harbour and participate more deeply in future town planning, the scale and plan of the project are yet to be decided. There will also be a railway station and maintenance centre in the proposed plan for the Shatin to Central Link.

There are also proposals to dredge the runway forming several islands built with housing on, to build a terminal accommodating cruise ships size of Queen Mary 2, and more recently, to house the Hong Kong Sports Institute as well as several stadiums in case it is forced to move, due to concerns that the equestrian events of the 2008 Summer Olympics may be held at the institute's present site in Sha Tin. Legend of the Seas moored at San Diego, California A cruise ship, or less commonly cruise liner, is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the amenities of the ship are considered an essential part of the experience. ... I name the ship Queen Mary 2 --Queen Elizabeth II The Queen Mary 2 is a Cunard Line passenger ship named after the earlier Cunard liner Queen Mary, which was in turn named after Mary of Teck. ... The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, will be held in Beijing in the Peoples Republic of China from August 8, 2008 to August 24, 2008, with the opening ceremony to take place at 8 p. ... Shing Mun River and Lek Yuen Bridge (瀝源橋). Sha Tin, or Shatin (沙田), is an area in the core of the Sha Tin District, in the New Territories, Hong Kong. ...

See also

• Hong Kong International Airport (the current airport at Chek Lap Kok that replaced Kai Tak)
• Transportation in Hong Kong
• List of buildings, sites and areas in Hong Kong

The Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) (IATA: HKG, ICAO: VHHH) (Chinese: 香港國際機場, Jyutping: hoeng1 gong2 gwok3 zai3 gei1 coeng4, pinyin: Xiānggǎng Guójì Jīchǎng) on the island of Chek Lap Kok, which opened for commercial operations in 1998, is a component of Hong Kong’s economy, serving... The territory of Hong Kong has a highly developed and sophisticated transportation network, encompassing both public and private transport. ... The following is a list of buildings, sites and areas in Hong Kong: List of the 18 districts of Hong Kong, with a partial list of their sub-areas and streets Hong Kong Island Central and Western Central Admiralty Kennedy Town Mid-levels Sai Ying Pun Shek Tong Tsui Sheung...

External links

• Map of what Kai Tak will become
• Animation of a plane landing on Kai Tak
• New animation of a 747-400 landing at Kai Tak
• Kai Tak Instrument Approach Plates (IAP)
• An account by a Kai Tak Air Traffic Controller - Phil Parker
• Kai Tak Airport web site(The Civil Aviation Department Hong Kong)
• Interactive satellite view of the site