Lights go out for the last time as army of staff works overnight on move to Chek Lap Kok
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenSCMPPublished: 3:41pm, 6 Jul 2026This article was first published on July 6, 1998.
Roger, over and out, Kai Tak
The lights were turned out at Kai Tak at 1.16 this morning, marking the end of the airport’s 73-year history.
“Goodbye Kai Tak and thank you,” said Director of Civil Aviation Richard Siegel, before throwing the switch.
As the lights went out, hundreds of people worked through the night in a hectic 13-hour operation to move the last pieces of equipment to the new airport at Chek Lap Kok, 35km away.
