Kai Tak Airport
was the international airport in Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. The
city had little available space, so the runway was built on reclaimed
land out over Kowloon Bay. As Hong Kong grew during the 20th century,
tall buildings went up dangerously close to the airport, and air traffic
grew exponentially. In later years, Kai Tak was ranked as the sixth
most dangerous airport in the world. It has since been replaced by the
new and bigger Hong Kong International Airport to the west of the
city. I flew in and out of Kai Tak airport (twice) in June of 1998, just days before the airport closed for good. No one prepared me for the terrifying landing. I went from pure excitement over being in Hong Kong to HOLY SH…. as the plane appeared to weave between skyscrapers and then land on a runway that looked to be inches from the sea on either side.
The Daily Mail has a collection of scary photographs of Kai Tak landings, taken by English teacher Daryl Scott Chapman, who lives in Hong Kong. More
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