The legendary approach just above apartment towers greeted Kiwi travellers on the first Air New Zealand flight to Hong Kong 60 years ago today.
Kai Tak Airport was Hong Kong’s gateway and Air New Zealand that day flew an early jetliner on a journey from Auckland that stopped in Sydney and Darwin.
The airline had changed its name from Teal (Tasman Empire Airways Limited) two years earlier.
Hong Kong’s handover from British to communist Chinese rule was more than three decades away.
That first journey on March 3, 1966, was on a four-engine Douglas DC-8.
It was 12 years before non-stop flights connected the two cities on the trijet DC-10, a widebody successor to the DC-8.
Both cities kept growing, and demand for the service seems to have done the same.
In 1982, Air New Zealand teamed up with Cathay Pacific and Air Niugini to run an Auckland–Port Moresby–Hong Kong service.
In 1995, the first Boeing 767 service between Auckland and Hong Kong started.
Passengers might recall being so close to buildings they could see right into people’s living rooms.
One building close to the approach reportedly had a massive Marlboro billboard.
Former Air New Zealand chief pilot Captain David Morgan flew 767s into Kai Tak.
“It’s impossible, especially from a pilot’s point of view, not to think about the legendary Runway 13 arrival,” he said.
“It was truly unique, and famous because it wasn’t a simple straight-in approach.”
Morgan said the procedure used an instrument guidance system (IGS) to bring pilots in on instruments toward Kowloon.
Once a pilot was in exactly the right place, they transitioned to a visual right-hand turn to line up with the runway.
“That 47 degree turn was built into the design of the approach, with the big red-and-white checkerboard on the hill being the unmistakable cue to turn towards the runway. From there you banked and descended around the corner, with the buildings feeling remarkably close.”
Morgan said it was an incredible privilege to operate into Kai Tak.
“And it’s also a reminder of how much aviation has evolved, because it’s fair to say it wouldn’t meet today’s safety and operating standards.”
Kai Tak may be no more, but Hong Kong is still a major aviation hub.
“For six decades, this route has helped connect New Zealand to the world,” Air New Zealand long haul general manager Kylie McGillivray-Brown said.
She said the service supported Kiwi travellers, enabled exporters to reach markets, and the return flights brought visitors, students and business partners to New Zealand.
Cathay may not be in the Star Alliance, but its partnership with Air New Zealand endures.
The old airport was barely 4km from downtown Kowloon’s Nathan Rd thoroughfare.
The new one, opened in 1998, is at Chek Lap Kok on Lantau Island, more than 30km away.
Air New Zealand said the two airlines carried more than 350,000 passengers a year with up to 16 flights a week during peak times.
The airline said it captured 70% of New Zealand-Hong Kong airfreight last year, or about 10,000 tonnes.
That included 33 tonnes of eggs, 85 tonnes of mussels, 210 tonnes of meat and 159 tonnes of avocados.
Air New Zealand said it would celebrate the 60th anniversary with a sale until March 5.
The sale tickets were going from $699 one-way in economy, $1499 in premium economy, and $3599 in long haul business premier.
John Weekes is a business journalist covering aviation and court. He has previously covered consumer affairs, crime, politics and courts.