HONG KONG AIRPORT AIMS TO MEET NEW CHALLENGES

Aviation hub faces fierce competition 20 years after opening

It was 6:30 am on July 6, 1998, when a commercial airliner from New York made the first landing at the newly completed Hong Kong International Airport.

Only five hours before the inaugural flight landed at the new facility - Chek Lap Kok Airport - the final flight took off from Hong Kong's aging Kai Tak Airport. The runway lights at Kai Tak were switched off for the last time at 1:20 am that day.