In 1955 Kai Tak sat on the Kowloon Bay waterfront, its runway just beginning to reach out into Victoria Harbour, with low ground and little else around it. Forty-three years later, on 5 July 1998, the last aircraft left and Hong Kong's air traffic moved to Chek Lap Kok.
Where the name comes from: two businessmen and one reclamation
Kai Tak is named after two businessmen, Sir Ho Kai and Mr Au Tak. They had formed a company to reclaim land at Kowloon Bay for a housing scheme; the company failed and the reclaimed land was left empty. The government then judged the site suitable for an airport, and the first recorded flight took place at Kai Tak on New Year's Day of the lunar year 1925 (Civil Aviation Department, Kai Tak Airport 1925-1998).
From flying school to international airport
Kai Tak began as a flying school and a British military flight unit. On 24 March 1936 the first commercial passenger service, operated by Imperial Airways, arrived from Penang, which marked the start of public transport services at the airport. The Civil Aviation Department was set up on 1 May 1946 to manage Hong Kong's air services.
In 1954 the government adopted an airport master plan. In 1958 a new runway was built along the Kowloon Bay waterfront, running north-west to south-east for 2,529 metres; with the runway complete, Kai Tak formally became Hong Kong International Airport (Civil Aviation Department).
A runway a few streets from the city
The terminal building was completed in 1962 and airlines moved from turboprops to jets; the first Boeing 747 arrived on 11 April 1970. In 1975 the runway was extended to 3,390 metres. In 1996 Kai Tak handled 29.5 million passengers. On 5 July 1998 the airport closed, after 73 years of service.
Spotting Kai Tak on an old sheet
To find Kai Tak on an old map, follow the Kowloon Bay coastline: on the earlier sheets it is bay and mudflat, and later sheets show reclaimed land and a runway. Put several years side by side and the coastline's outward march is easy to follow.
Related products
Ready to buy? Start with our guide to buying old Hong Kong maps.
Our maps and gifts are shipped within Hong Kong and overseas, with preparation and packing taking about 3 to 14 days; canvas maps come in A4, 30×40, 40×60, 50×70, 60×90 and 80×120 cm with optional wooden frames. To keep a piece of Kai Tak:
- 1900 Map of Hong Kong Island — Central Waterfront (Canvas Print)
- Kai Tak luggage tag
- 1935 territory-wide vintage canvas map
- 1909 territory-wide canvas map
References
This article draws on the public sources listed below, with our own reading of the maps (place names and coastline). Copyright in the cited material belongs to its authors and institutions; the map images here are digitally restored versions of our own copies (cleaning, filling losses, recolouring) and are not raw scans; historical photographs are credited in their captions and are not product content.
- Civil Aviation Department: Kai Tak Airport 1925-1998 (accessed 9 October 2026)
- Civil Engineering and Development Department: Land and Infrastructure
Further reading: Kowloon Bay on the 1924 map, before Kai Tak took off
Further reading: Kwun Tong on the 1935 map, before the factory district