Cathay Pacific | Back to Kai Tak | 2026
Back in that sky again, after 27 years / Cathay Pacific "Back to Kai Tak"
Kai Tak Airport closed in 1998. It was known as the world's toughest landing, with planes banking 47 degrees between high-rise buildings before touching down. Twenty-seven years later, Cathay Pacific flew that sky once more. This time, though, it wasn't a landing — it was a flypast.
The problem
On 3/30/2025, the final day of the Hong Kong Sevens, a low-altitude flypast was held to celebrate Kai Tak's 100th anniversary and the opening of the tournament at the new Kai Tak Sports Park. For decades, Kai Tak had been Hong Kong's gateway, and its famous 47-degree turn landing approach drew attention from around the world. Cathay is also the exclusive travel partner of the Sports Park.
The insight
"Everyone remembers Cathay planes flying in and out of Kai Tak. We wanted to turn that nostalgia into an event and let the world tell the story," said Edward Bell, who leads the brand. The idea was to make that memory something people could actually see again.
The idea
The aircraft used was CX8100. It took off from Hong Kong International Airport and flew over Central, Wan Chai, Kai Tak and North Point, crossing Victoria Harbour. For this single flypast, Cathay worked with the Hong Kong government to set up a temporary flight restriction zone over the harbour. For the filming, they brought in the very aviation photographer who had spent years capturing planes landing at Kai Tak.
What happened
The released footage drew over 9,000 views on YouTube, with comments like "this brings back memories" and "I want to show this to my kids." Cathay also released a short behind-the-scenes documentary about making the flypast happen.
Afterthought
Since it was a flypast rather than a landing, this wasn't a recreation — it was a reinterpretation. Christopher Lee of Publicis Groupe Hong Kong looked back on it, saying, "It seemed like a bold idea, but we worked hard to create something that everyone who came to the Hong Kong Sevens would remember." Just by sending a plane into the sky, they managed to wake up the memory of an entire city.
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