What's left of Hong Kong's Kai Tak airport

[Mattg]

It was a landing like no other. During the sharp right turn on final approach into Hong Kong's original Kai Tak Airport, you could literally see people's laundry drying out the window of your Boeing 747.

Kai Tak Airport closed in 1998, replaced by the more modern and much larger Chek Lap Kok Airport that’s used today. So, what became of the valuable land that was once the site of one of this iconic airport?

On a recent visit to Hong Kong, I visited the former site of Kai Tak Airport to find a hive of construction activity. Some of the land of is being used for new housing and other developments. But the centrepiece is a brand new cruise terminal and park. It's open to the public and offers some great harbour views.

 

[Mattg]

The famous Kai Tak Airport checkerboards

The approach into Kai Tak Airport from the west used to be nicknamed the "checkerboard approach" because pilots would use a painted red-and-white checkerboard pattern on "Checkerboard Hill" as a guide signalling where they needed to start their sharp turn towards the runway.

I visited the site of the old checkerboards to find that they’re still there, and in fact were restored during the pandemic. Some enthusiastic locals continue to give them a fresh coat of paint every now and again. It's kind of become like a memorial for the old airport.

The location is not directly accessible by car as there is a gate blocking the road up to the checkerboards. But you can walk from the gate near Lok Fu MTR station. It’s about a 10 minute walk up a large hill, and there’s a public park right above the checkerboards.



I visited on a weekend afternoon and there were a few locals enjoying the park, as well as a small number of other av-geek tourists checking out the checkerboards. You can even get close enough to the checkerboards to touch them.

 

[jrfsp]

Thanks for this, its on my list for my trip to HK next month.

 

[jase05]

Thanks for the TR
Brings back some great memories. Many years ago a couple of us were backpacking and we decided to stay in HK for 6 weeks. We found a place to let that seemed too good to be true. Great location, cheap as chips and had a nice rooftop space to hang out. We soon realised it was so cheap as we were directly under the flight path and the aircraft rattled the windows and furniture all day long
I can tell you the tales of passengers waving to residents is absolutely true and we would often sit up on the roof and throw back a few beers watching the aircraft so close that it felt you could jump up and touch them

 

[Beano]

The airplanes would go below the towers so you could look directly into the apartments. There was also the frisson of wondering if it would run off the end of the runaway.

I remember landing at Kai Tak then next day at 5 am taking a workers ferry to the site of the new airport being constructed.

 

[kamchatsky]

Excellent TR.

I used to live under the Kai Tak flight path and I keep seeing passengers waving at us. I waved back too!

I also wondered what that checkerboard was about as I could directly see it from my window.

 

[AisleSeat]

The famous Kai Tak Airport checkerboards

The approach into Kai Tak Airport from the west used to be nicknamed the "checkerboard approach" because pilots would use a painted red-and-white checkerboard pattern on "Checkerboard Hill" as a guide signalling where they needed to start their sharp turn towards the runway.

I visited the site of the old checkerboards to find that they’re still there, and in fact were restored during the pandemic. Some enthusiastic locals continue to give them a fresh coat of paint every now and again. It's kind of become like a memorial for the old airport.

The location is not directly accessible by car as there is a gate blocking the road up to the checkerboards. But you can walk from the gate near Lok Fu MTR station. It’s about a 10 minute walk up a large hill, and there’s a public park right above the checkerboards.

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I visited on a weekend afternoon and there were a few locals enjoying the park, as well as a small number of other av-geek tourists checking out the checkerboards. You can even get close enough to the checkerboards to touch them.

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So many memories of the checkerboard. I used to see it from my street back in the 80s (now there's a building in the way)

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[AisleSeat]

Thought I'd add some related pics to this thread. Cartography plans of Kai Tak, with approach chart

 

[cosi]

My wife still clearly remembers the time, as a QF flight attendant in the late 80's, being invited into the flight deck for the landing into Kai-Tak - the excitement still is a great memory she will treasure for ever.

 

[jb747]

My wife still clearly remembers the time, as a QF flight attendant in the late 80's, being invited into the flight deck for the landing into Kai-Tak - the excitement still is a great memory she will treasure for ever.

The extra coughpit seats in the 767 were rarely empty on the way into Kai Tak.

Best memories are of watching people screw up the approach. It was pretty unforgiving to people who failed to consider the effect of crosswind in the turn BEFORE actually arriving at the turning point.

 

[jrfsp]

You weren't wrong about the hill!!

Sweating my bits off but great to see it!

 

[jrfsp]

If I wasn’t sweaty enough I thought I’d walk to the old Kai tak….which was not easy as it was basically through a construction site and nothing worth seeing at the end

The only interesting thing I came across was the old hanger of the Hong Kong aviation club which is the only remnant of the old airport

Reminded me of the old QF hanger in Parap, Darwin which sticks out in a similar way and of a similar vintage