Now Boarding: New Hong Kong Airport
HONG KONG — On July 6, Hong Kong will open the $20.1-billion Chek Lap Kok airport. So in order to experience the thrill of flying into the old Kai Tak airport--famed for being one the world’s most heart-stopping landings because the planes fly so close to apartment blocks that you can see what residents are watching on TV--you’d better get there before midnight, July 5.
The airy new high-tech airport is on an island of reclaimed land off Lantau, about a 40-minute taxi ride from Hong Kong’s central district. Getting there will take a little longer and cost a little more than the ride to the old airport, but its expansive size and 24-hour flight schedule means more chances to get into--and out--of Hong Kong.
The Airport Express train shoots straight to central Hong Kong in 23 minutes and costs about $11 to Kowloon and $12 to Central. Hotel shuttle buses and taxis will take you the last step to your destination. From the airport, taxis cost about $42 to Central.
Aiming for a seamless transition, officials will close the old airport at 11:30 p.m. on July 5 and open the new one at 6:30 a.m. the next morning (barring severe storms, in which case the switch will be postponed a week).
In that seven-hour window, 30 jumbo jets will make their shortest flight ever: an 18.6-mile hop from Kai Tak to Chek Lap Kok. That night, roads will be closed for a clumsy procession of 1,000 oddly shaped vehicles such as airplane pushers, baggage trains and moving staircases over highways and across a 4,475-foot-long suspension bridge.
The new airport, which has been called “the biggest construction project since the Pyramids,†will be able to handle 35 million passengers a year--5 million more than the old one.
Sign up for The Wild
We’ll help you find the best places to hike, bike and run, as well as the perfect silent spots for meditation and yoga.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
