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Hong Kong International Airport, popularly known as Kai Tak International Airport (Chinese 啟德國際機場 Pinyin: Qǐdé, WG: Ch'i-te, Enlighten & Virtuous) was the international airport of Hong Kong until July 6, 1998. Having the IATA airport code HKG as well as the ICAO airport code VHKT, the famous airport served as Cathay Pacific's, Dragonair's and Air Hong Kong's hub.
The landing approach to the Kowloon location was spectacular. The aircraft was literally landing in the city, and people on the plane could see the flicker of televisions in apartment windows. The pilots used a checkerboard on a hillside to guide them to the ground.
As well as the difficult and potentially dangerous landing, Hong Kong's growth stretched the airport's capacity. 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 also caused serious noise pollution for nearby residents.
As a result, another Hong Kong International Airport, also known as "Chek Lap Kok International Airport" was built near Lantau Island. All of the supplies were transported to Chek Lap Kok in a massive move. Kai Tak was retired subsequently, with its IATA Airport Code given to Chek Lap Kok airport.
History
The story of Kai Tak started in 1924. The location of Kai Tak belonged to two billionaires Ho Kai and Au Tak, who owned the land before the government acquired the land (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. Sooner it became a small airport for the Royal Air Force, flying clubs and pilot training centre.
In 1936, the first domestic airline in Hong Kong was established.
In 1943, Hong Kong fell into the hands of the Japanese during World War II. Japanese army extended Kai Tak and built an additional runway which extended across Clear Water Bay Road. During the process, they had destroyed the historic wall of the Kowloon Walled City, as well as the 45m (148ft) tall Sung Wong Toi - a memorial for the last Song dynasty emperor. Japanese surrendered shortly after the completion of the second runway in 1945.
An official plan to modify Kai Tak to be a modern airport was released in 1954. A new 2194m runway extending into the Kowloon Bay was completed by land reclamation in 1957 replacing the original ones. The runway was extended to 2541m in 1970 and again to 3358m in 1975. In 1962, the passenger terminal was completed and Kai Tak became an international airport.
At first, Kai Tak was "far away" from residental areas, but as both the 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 confidence of the population on the future of Hong Kong after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, 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.
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.
In 1998, Kai Tak was finally retired as an airport. The passsenger terminal was eventually transformed into government offices, automobile dealerships, go kart racecourse, snooker, recreational facilities, bowling alley, car sales showroom and golf range.
Many aviation enthusiasts were upset with 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 1km of the Kai Tak runway for private aviation.
By December 2003 and January 2004, the passenger terminal was dismantled.
Future plans for the site
The site is currently used as a golf course. There are plans for the site of Kai Tak to be used for housing development, which was once projected to house around 240 to 340 thousand residents. Due to the call of 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.
See also
External link
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