The
Name
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.
The
History
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.

A letter delivered by the 'Dorado' with datestamp showing
24 March 1936 on its back.

The first Scheduled air service arrived at Kai Tak on 24
March, 1936
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.

Kai Tak Airport in 1947
The
Airport Development
In 1954, the Government approved
a master plan for airport development. In 1958, a new northwest/southeast
heading 2529 meter runway was constructed on a promontory
into Kowloon Bay. The name Hong Kong International Airport
was officially adopted for Kai Tak Airport.
In 1962, a passenger terminal
building was built. Turboprop aircraft were being replaced
by jets such as the Boeing 707, DC8 and de Havilland comet.
The first Boeing B747 arrived on 11 April 1970. In those
days to use runway 13 pilots were required to have the runway
in slight when the aircraft was near Cheung Chau Island.
In 1974, the visual approach
was replaced by the Instrument Guidance System (IGS). With
the aid of the IGS the runway could become visual to pilots
when they were over the Kowloon Peninsula. This significantly
increased the utilization of runway 13 under adverse weather
conditions particularly during long periods of easterly
prevailing winds.
In 1975, the runway was extended
to 3,390 meters to meet the long haul operating requirements
of the 31 airlines that operated into Hong Kong.
In 1976, the Hong Kong Air
Cargo Terminal was opened. In the same year, Air Traffic
Management was enhanced by the introduction of Secondary
Surveillance Radar.

The construction of the Southeast/Northwest heading runway
in 1956

Viewing platform of the terminal building and Aircraft parking
upon in 1962

The old Kai Tak Terminal Building was demolished in 1965.
The new Terminal Building in the background
The
Expansion Projects
Upon the completion of Stage
4 development of the passenger terminal building in 1981,
a study of the capacity of various facilities in the passenger
terminal building revealed the need for the further expansion
of the terminal to cope with air traffic forecast in the
early 90s. The Stage 5 development of the terminal was commenced
in 1984 and completed in 1988, increasing the design capacity
to 18 million passengers per annum by adding terminal parking
facilities, check - in counters and baggage reclaim units.
In 1987, to cater for the
strong increase in air traffic at Kai Tak during its remaining
life before the availability of the replacement airport,
another series of expansion and improvement projects initiated.
In 1991, Terminal 2 of the Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminal
was commissioned providing an annual air cargo handling
capacity of 1.5 million tonnes per annum. In 1992, the expansion
of the East Apron which provided 4 additional parking bays
for B747 - 400 aircraft and a general aviation aircraft
parking area were completed. Finally, in 1994 an expansion
of the South Apron Provided 11 more parking bays for B747
aircraft. The design capacity of the airport reached 24
million passengers per annum.

Air Traffic Controller working on the radar equipment in
1985
Kai
Tak Airport
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.

High-tech Air Traffic Control equipment in 1995
Civil
Aviation Department and the Chek Lap Kok Airport
The Airport Authority Hong
Kong is charged with the responsibility to develop and manage
the new airport at Chek Lap Kok. The Civil Aviation Department
will continue to provide air traffic control services and
will take up a regulatory role in respect of airport management
side. Through an aerodrome licensing system the Department
will ensure that the new Airport is operated in compliance
with the international safety and security standards as
required by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Government.
The Civil Aviation Department
will ensure that our mission is achieved.
Committed to provide a safe
and efficient air transport system.