Hong Kong International Airport
Chek Lap Kok

Hong Kong International Airport is now the name of a relatively new construction on Lantau Island. It is possibly the best airport in the world, and the many airlines that fly through here can take you to and from hundreds of destinations world-wide.

Location and connections

The new Hong Kong airport was finished in 1996 and is also known as Chek Lap Kok to distinguish it from the infamous old Kai Tak airport that was built in Victoria Harbour in the middle of the city. This made it very accessible but also dangerous as it forced planes to take off and land just above the skyscraper rooftops.

There will be no more of that now since the new airport on Lantau island is placed a safe distance from the city, requiring a travel time of up to an hour from downtown areas, maybe more depending on your mode of transportation.

There are several options for getting in to the city. For most people who are going to downtown hotels, I would recommend the Airport Express train which will whisk you to Central in under thirty minutes for a reasonable 100 HKD (50 for children). You can also switch trains part-way and go on other MTR trains if you are headed to to Kowloon.

A cheaper option is to take one of the the many airport buses, just make sure you don't take the wrong one as you could end up in very distant corners of the territory. Of course, there is also a healthy fleet of taxis that would be happy to take you.

Airport hotels

If you are a traveller who's only passing through on one of the many layovers, you may want to investigate the airport hotels. There are three: Novotel Citygate, Skycity Marriot and Regal Airport Hotel. They are all within a high price bracket but apparently also well-liked by their customers. Novotel Citygate with its somewhat more affordable pricing seems to be the most popular option. Of course, the rest of the city is also full of Hong Kong hotels.

Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific Airlines, with its decades of operation based out of Hong Kong, has become an unofficial flag carrier even though it's privately owned. Their 132 planes fly to hundreds of destinations in dozens of countries. They also fly to many major cities in Mainland China through their wholly owned subsidiary, Dragonair.

Through it's codesharing agreements with other airlines, including the Oneworld alliance, it's quite likely that you'll end up on one of their flights when you travel to Hong Kong.

Awards

In the prestigious yearly rankings by the consultancy firm Skytrax, Hong Kong International Airport has consistently been ranked as one of the world's best over the last decade and is one of only three airports on the planet honoured with a five-star rating. In 2011 it was once again named as the absolute number one airport, just beating archrival Singapore.

Cathay Pacific also enjoys a very good reputation, as one of only seven five-star airlines world-wide.

Return from Hong Kong Airport to Destination Hong Kong travel guide

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