page_title: Kai Tak Airport
section_title: Companies based at Kai Tak
hierarchical_section_title: Kai Tak Airport / Operations / Companies based at Kai Tak
caption_attribution_description: Planes landing at Kai Tak
context_page_description: Kai Tak Airport was the international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. Officially known as Hong Kong International Airport from 1954 to 6 July 1998, it is often referred to as Hong Kong International Airport, Kai Tak, or simply Kai Tak and Kai Tak International Airport, to distinguish it from its successor, which is often referred to as Chek Lap Kok International Airport, located at the islands of Chek Lap Kok and Lam Chau, located 30 kilometres to the west.
  Because of the geography of the area positioning the airport with water on all sides of the runway, with Kowloon City's residential apartment complexes and 2000+ft mountains to the north-east of the airport, aircraft could not fly over the mountains and quickly drop in for a final. Instead, aircraft had to fly above Victoria Harbour and Kowloon City, passing north of Mong Kok's Bishop Hill. After passing Bishop Hill, pilots would see Checkerboard Hill with a large red and white checkerboard pattern. Once the pattern was sighted and identified, aircraft made a low-altitude 47° right-hand turn, ending with a short final and touchdown.
context_section_description: Several airlines were based at Kai Tak:
  Cathay Pacific, which operated a mixed Airbus, Boeing and some Lockheed all-widebody fleet of one hundred aircraft, providing scheduled services to the rest of Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, Europe, South Africa and North America.
  Dragonair
  Air Hong Kong Limited
  Hong Kong Airways (Until Late 1950s when bought by Cathay Pacific)
  British Asia Airways (Due to relations between PRC and ROC)
  Other tenants included:
  Hong Kong Aviation Club
  Government Flying Service
  DFS Kai Tak Market
  Häagen Dazs
  Tin Tin Airport Restaurant
caption: Northwest Cargo 747-200F landing.
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