The construction of the new Hong Kong International Airport

HF: Hong Kong International Airport is an international airport on the island of Chek Lap Kok in western Hong Kong. The airport is alternatively called Chek Lap Kok airport to distinguish from its predessor, Kai Tak Airport.

Opened in 1998, Hong Kong International Airport is the world’s busiest cargo gateway and one of the world’s busiest passenger airports. It is also home to one of the world’s largest passenger terminal buildings, which was the largest when the airport opened. The airport is operated by Airport Authority Hong Kong, and has three operational runways, each measuring 3.8 kilometres in length. It runs 24 hours a day and is the primary hub for Cathay Pacific, Greater Bay Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, HK Express and Air Hong Kong.

Hong Kong International Airport, which employed about 60,000 people at the start of 2024, is an important contributor to Hong Kong’s economy. The economic contribution generated by Hong Kong’s air travel industry in 2018 amounted to US$33 billion, 10.2% of Hong Kong’s GDP. More than 100 airlines operate flights from the airport to over 180 cities across the globe. In 2024 the airport handled 49.9 million international passengers making it the 9th busiest airport worldwide by international passenger traffic.

Chek Lap Kok Airport was designed as a replacement for the former Hong Kong International Airport (commonly known as Kai Tak Airport) built in 1925.

Located in the densely built up Kowloon City District with a single runway extending into Kowloon Bay. Hong Kong Airport had turned on the runway lights for expansion to cope with steadily increasing air traffic. By the 1990s Kai Tak had become one of the world’s busiest airports, being a major hub for multiple passenger airlines along with a major cargo and maintenance hub – it far exceeded its annual passenger and cargo design capacities, and one of every three flights experienced delays, largely due to a lack of space for aircraft, gates, and a second runway.

A 1974 planning study by the Civil Aviation and Public Works departments identified the small island of Chek Lap Kok, off Lantau Island, as a possible future airport replacement site. Far from the congested city centre, flight paths would be routed over the South China Sea rather than crowded urban areas, enabling efficient round the clock operation of multiple runways.

The Chek Lap Kok (CLK) airport master plan and civil engineering studies were completed between 1982 and 1983 respectively. However, in February 1983, the government shelved the project for financial and economic reasons. In 1988 the Port & Airport Development Strategy (PADS) study was undertaken by consultants, headed by Mott MacDonald Hong Kong Limited, reporting in December 1989.

Aerial view during the reclamation work. Source:Wikipedia

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The exterior of Hong Kong International Airport, at night.
Source: Wikipedia
This article was first posted on 19th May 2026.