In 1924, local businessman Sir Ho Kai and Mr Au Tak started to reclaim land in Kowloon Bay for a speculative housing development. The reclaimation was completed, but the venture failed. The land reverted to Hongkong Governent just at the time when thought was being given to an aircraft landing field and flying boat moorage. On Lunar New Year's Day 1925, the first aircraft was to take off from the grass strip. The civil airport at Kai tak was a reality. By 1927, an RAF detachment was housed there in matshed hangars. In 1928, a crane and slipway to handle flying boats were built, and in 1930 the first civillian airport superintendent, Mr A.J.R.Moss was appointed.
In 1935, the first control tower and fire engine were in place. The first commercial passenger, Mr Ong Eee-Lim, arrived on 24th March, 1936 on a mail flight from Penang and in 1937 the airport handle all of 3685 passengers.
The first tarmac runway, 457 metres long, running east-west was completed in 1939. During the Japanese occupation, a north-south runway 1371 metres long was added and the earlier runway extended to the same length.
Commercial flight to Kai Tak resumed in September 1945. Within a few years, it was clear that major expansion of the airport was needed. In 1954, work began on a new terminal; while in 1956, a contract was let to reclaim sixty hectares of land in the bay to build a new 2194 metres long north-south runway. By 1965, Kai Tak was handling nearly 1 million passengers a year. In 1970s, the new runway was extended to 2541 m, and later in 1975 to 3358m, so as to handle the new large jets like the Boeing 747 and Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10. The aircraft parking area was extended as well from a capacity of ten planes to thirty-three. In 1976, over 4 million passengers passed through the airport and the first cargo terminal opened.
During its sixtieth anniversary year in 1987, Kai Tak handled over 10 million passengers and half a million tonnes of cargo. In 1995, this had grown to over 24 million passengers and nearly one and a half million tonnes cargo.
