Watching Hong Kong live
Three parallel runways on an island built for the purpose, between the sea and the mountains of Lantau.
The layout
Hong Kong International stands on Chek Lap Kok, an island largely made by levelling two smaller ones and filling the sea between them, just north of Lantau. Three parallel runways run east-north-east to west-south-west: the north runway 07L/25R, added in 2022, the centre runway 07C/25C and the south runway 07R/25L. Terminal 1 with its long curved concourse and Terminal 2 sit between the centre and south runways, with the Midfield Concourse further west, the cargo terminals to the south-east and the airline maintenance bases to the north.
The mountains of Lantau rise steeply to the south, and the bridges and the Airport Express line link the island to the mainland to the north-east.
How the flow works
The 07s are the usual configuration: aircraft arrive from the west over the sea, following a curved approach around Lantau's northern shore, and depart eastward. When the wind turns, the field runs on the 25s, with arrivals from the east passing the bridges. The three runways are normally split with one for arrivals, one for departures and one mixed, and the pattern changes through the day.
Typhoon season, from May to October, brings the drama: when a storm approaches the field slows and then stops, and the map goes still until it passes.
What to watch for
Cathay Pacific's A350s, 777s and A330s dominate, with HK Express and Greater Bay Airlines on the regional routes and every major carrier in Asia, Europe and North America calling in. Hong Kong is also the busiest cargo airport in the world, so watch the freighters on the south-east aprons: Cathay Cargo's 747s, and the big freighters of Cargolux, UPS, FedEx and DHL through the night.
The morning wave of arrivals from Europe and the evening bank of departures for Europe and North America are the busiest hours, and the view from the west, over the water toward the terminal and the mountains, is one of the best in aviation.
More airports
- LAXLos Angeles International AirportFour parallel runways beside the Pacific, and the busiest airport on the US west coast.
- ORDChicago O'Hare International AirportEight runways, two giant hubs, and weather that keeps everyone on their toes.
- ATLHartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International AirportThe busiest airport on Earth: five parallel runways and an arrival every minute.
- DXBDubai International AirportA380s all day at the busiest international hub in the world.
- LHRLondon Heathrow AirportTwo runways running flat out, Terminal 5 at the west end.
- JFKJohn F. Kennedy International AirportCrossing runway pairs on Jamaica Bay, the AirTrain circling the terminals.
- SANSan Diego International AirportOne runway between the bay and downtown, and the steepest approach in the country.
- AMSAmsterdam Airport SchipholSix runways four metres below sea level, and a fifteen-minute taxi to the Polderbaan.
- DFWDallas/Fort Worth International AirportSeven runways on a site the size of Manhattan, Skylink threading the half-moon terminals.
- HNDTokyo Haneda AirportAsia's busiest airport: four runways on reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay, one standing on piers.
- BKKSuvarnabhumi AirportThree parallel runways around one vast terminal on the marsh east of the city.
- GRUSão Paulo/Guarulhos International AirportSouth America's busiest airport: two parallel runways on the plateau north-east of the biggest city in the hemisphere.
- SYDSydney Kingsford Smith AirportAustralia's busiest airport: two parallel runways reaching out into Botany Bay, and a third across them.
- SINSingapore Changi AirportThree parallel runways on reclaimed land at the eastern tip of the island, and the best-run hub in the world.
- HKGHong Kong International AirportThree parallel runways on an island built for the purpose, between the sea and the mountains of Lantau.