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September 22, 2016
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September 28, 2016Hong Kong Intl. Airport Spotting Guide
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- last modified on January 27, 2020
Hong Kong International Airport (HKG/VHHH) also known as Chek Lap Kok Airport is located 25 km west of Hong Kong Central on an artificial island close to Lantau Island. It can be easily reached by car from motorway 8. From the city the Airport Express is riding every 10 minutes and takes around 25 minutes (100 HKD). Several public lines connecting the airport with nearly every part of the city, the fares are lower than the Airport Express. Additionally ferries are going to Macao and China Mainland.
In 2018 74,7 million passengers were handled (#8 world wide). HKG is the world’s busiest cargo airport. The airport was opened in 1998 to replace the famous Kai Tak Airport. The airport is hub of Cathay Pacific, Cathay Dragon, rHong Kong Airlines and Hong Kong Express Airways.
Nearly all major world airlines can be seen in HKG, as well as numerous Asian carriers. The airport has two terminals which are seen on the apron as one. Terminal 2 is only equipped with check-in desks but no gates. All aircraft are handled at Terminal 1 with it’s main building and the two concourses (North Satellite and Midfield)
You can check the flight schedule for passenger and cargo flights on hongkongairport.com. The airport operates 24 hours, so some special visitors may move in the dark only.
The current two runway system might be extended in the future by a 3rd runway. Also around the airport a lot of construction is ongoing. The bridge to Macao and other building sites can obstruct spotters.
Written by Marcus, Clive Grant, Finn Ridley (Spot 14) and Miguel Alia (last update January 2020)
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| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 07R/25L | 3,800m Asphalt |
| 07L/25R | 3.800m Asphalt |
| Terminals | One for all passenger flights. |
| Terminal 1 | Major terminal which includes all the concourses. |
| Terminal 2 | In front of Terminal 1 |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Not necessary and even forbidden at the fence. |
| Car/Public Transport | Car is not useful, as parking might become an issue. All spots can be reached by public transport. With the “Octopus” card you can pay in all buses, metros and ferries. The card can be obtained at all MTR stations. |
| Restrooms | Only in the terminal and at MTR station “Tung Chung” |
| Drinks/Food | Only in the terminal and at MTR station “Tung Chung” |
| Hotels | Few (expensive) hotels around the airport. Bigger choice in Central or Kowloon. |
| Season | Summer is hot and humid. As it is also the rainy season thunderstorms or typhoons have to be expected. Autumn and winter is cooler and more dry, but it can get very hazy. |
| Security | Due to current unrest in Hong Kong spotting is not advised. Access to the terminal might be limited to passengers holding a valid ticket. Police controls might stop any person not holding a valid ticket or boarding pass. |
| Runway Usage | |
| General Info | Clear rules make spotting quite predictable, still exceptions happen from time to time. Update DEC 2019: Till 7:15 in the morning normally all traffic will be handled on one runway only which is changed day by day between northern and southern. During the day it is still mostly arrivals in the north and departures in the south… |
| 07L/25R | Nearly all passengers flights will arrive here. Also few cargo arrivals might be seen. |
| 07R/25L | All departures to be expected here as well as most cargo arrivals. Few passenger flights can also land on this runway. Update DEC 2019: On some days very few cargo movements here – most also land on the other runway. |
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Sky Deck – 25R and 25L Arrivals
| WHERE | The sky deck can be accessed from Terminal 2 on level 6. Search for the Aviation Discovery Centre or the “Entertainment Zones”, where a ticket for the observation deck can be obtained (15 HKD for one time access or 40 HKD for day pass). The deck is located on the roof of the building. Opening hours: Weekdays 11:00 – 22:00 and Saturdays / Sundays / Public Holidays 09:30 – 22:00.
+++ UPDATE NOV 2019: Due to ongoing construction works in the terminal area the sky deck is closed until further notice. Please choose spots 7, 10 or 11 for apporaching aircrafts to RWY 25R in the meantime +++ |
| WHAT | Arriving aircraft on 25R can be perfectly seen here. Depending on the time of the day also arrivals on 25L are possible. |
| TIME | Good until noon in summer. In winter until 16:00 for 25R. |
| MISC. | All facilities in the terminal. Food, drinks, supermarkets, restrooms. Nearly no shade on the deck, so don’t forget sun protection. Also no benches available. The sky deck is closed for routine maintenance without prior notice regularly so it might be closed when you are there. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 250 mm for A320 approaching 25R, also 250 mm for B747 on 25L. |
Cathay Pacific City – Take-Off 07R
| WHERE | On a pedestrian bridge at Cathay PacificCity directly at the bus stop. Several bus lines from airport and the city will stop here. |
| WHAT | You can get aircraft departing 07R. |
| TIME | Morning until afternoon. |
| MISC. | Nothing here, so bring what you need. At least you can stand in the shadow. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 300 mm for A320 |
Scenic Hill – Take-Off 07R
| WHERE | From bus stop Cathay Pacific City walk on Scenic Road towards the hill. At the cable car building move the stairs up and follow the footpath to the top of the hill. You can also leave the bus at “Aviation Fuel Tank Farm” which is closer to the spot. But not all bus lines will stop there. |
| WHAT | You can get aircraft departing 07R. 25L will be also possible there. |
| TIME | Good until noon in summer. In winter until 15:00. |
| MISC. | Nothing here, so bring what you need. At least there are benches and shadow in the shack. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 500 mm for A320 |
HAECO Aircraft Maintenance Area – 07L Arrivals
| WHERE | Take bus S52 from “Cathay Pacific City” or MTR station “Tung Chung” direction “Aircraft Maintenance Area”. Bus S52 rides every 20 minutes. Exit at terminus at the HAECO hangars and walk back a few meters to find your preferred position. You can sit on the rocks at sea. |
| WHAT | Arrivals on 07L can be seen here, also 07R arrivals are possible as well as heavy departures on 25L. |
| TIME | 07L: Good until noon in summer. In winter until 15:00. 07R/25L: Afternoon in summer. |
| MISC. | Nothing here, so bring what you need. Even no shade. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Between 250 and 450 mm for A320 depending on your position. |
Sha Lo Wan - 07R departures
| WHERE | Take a 10 minutes walk from MTR station “Tung Chung”. From “Tung Chung Development Ferry Pier” take Fortune Ferry (see picture below) direction “Tai O” (https://www.fortuneferry.com.hk/timetable.php). Exit at the next ferry pier “Sha Lo Wan” after about 10 minutes. From ferry pier take the footpath and walk along the coast line to the village. Pass the village and move on along the coast. At the parting of the ways move the left footpath up the hill until you reach a meteorological station. There you can stand in the shades of trees. The walk is around 25-30 minutes. The next bus stop in Tung Chung is a walk of ~80 minutes by foot on paved ways from where one can take a bus to a metrostation, which can be used to get to the airport/city.Update DEC 2019: Spot situation improved as some trees disappeared and the way up is (partly) concreted now. In addition the platform is now paved with concrete as well and marked with two large pink flags so it can even be seen from far away. Apart from this signs showing the way to “View Point @ Shao Lo Wan” were also installed (starting showing the way at the soccer pitch next to the shore down there in Sha Lo Wan). |
| WHAT | Arrivals and departures on 07R, also departures on 25L. |
| TIME | Morning until afternoon in winter, in summer until noon. |
| MISC. | There’s absolutely nothing at this spot, bring with you what you need. Take care of the ferry schedule. If you miss the last ferry you need to walk about 2 hours to get back to civilization. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 250 mm for A320 lining up 07R, 120 mm for 747 landing. |
This is how the platform looks like now (DEC 2019):
Terminal at Gate N68 or S49 - Only airside
| WHERE | After passing security and immigration: If you have some time until your flight is departing move to the end of the main terminal building close to gate N68 or S49. You can also chose any other gate, but around N68 and S49 you will catch the highest number of movements. Special hint: If your flight departs later in the day, check in your luggage at Airport Express stations “Hong Kong Central” or “Kowloon” up to 24 hours ahead of departure, get your boarding pass and move to the airport. To be eligible for this service you need to obtain a ticket for the Airport Express (115 HKD). Check here if your airline offers in-town check-in: MTR Airport Express |
| WHAT | Movements on northern runway (N68) and southern runway (S49) and taxiways. Photos are taken through glass, so be careful of reflections. |
| TIME | All day long. Depends where you take your pictures. |
| MISC. | As you are in the terminal you can find everything around you. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 60 mm for A320 on the taxiway. |
Airport Authorities – 25R Arrivals
| WHERE | This spot is netxt to the airport authorities at the junction of “Cheong Yip Rd” and “Cheong Wing Rd”. Its an alternative to spot #1 but you are much closer to the RWY 25R movements so you don´t need a huge hense and you have less dust/heat in your pictures. Exit the terminal and walk northwards by passing the taxi station. |
| WHAT | You get 25R arrivals only so you will miss most freighters as they usually use 25L. |
| TIME | Morning until afternoon in winter, in summer until noon. |
| MISC. | Everything you need is within the terminal. There is a security guard next to you so don´t be always in their sight and keep a low profile. Currently extensive road and construction works are ongoing in this area. So spotting experience might be obstructed or even stopped by workers. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-200 mm |
Sha Lo Wan 2 – 07R/25L Departures
| WHERE | Follow the same directions to the first Sha Lo Wan spot #5 (metro to Tung Chung, ferry to Sha Lo Wan pier), but at the football pitch turn left and left again in the next junction. Continue the path, that now goes cleary uphill. On the highest point of the path, after a really steep section, there is a crossing, where you need to go left here (street view). The hard surface ends some twenty meters from this point, on the fence of a meteorologic station. You have to continue on your left, walking along the fence, and further up on a barely marked trail. Continue always uphill for some 10 min more until you reach an opening on the forest. Here, take the path on your right, now on a slight downill, and in a couple or three minutes you will reach the spot. The next bus stop in Tung Chung is a walk of ~60 minutes by foot on paved ways from where one can take a bus to a metrostation, which can be used to get to the airport/city. |
| WHAT | Departures on 07R / 25L. A few arrivals (mainly cargo) on the same runway. |
| TIME | Morning until afternoon in winter, in summer until noon. |
| MISC. | You are as far away as on the other Sha Lo Wan spot. Heat haze can be a problem even during winter. There is absolutely nothing here, so bring what you need. A small shop can be found (before climbing to the spot!) |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 400mm for an A320, 200mm for a B77W. |
Regal Hotel Executive Rooms and Executive Club Lounge
| WHERE | Just north of the main terminal building is the Regal Airport Hotel which is easily accessible on foot. Executive Rooms #1148, 1146, 1142, 1140 & 1138 all have similar west facing views overlooking the airport. Some standard rooms on lower floors may provide a similar view but this has not been checked. Staying in the Executive Rooms also gives you access to the hotel’s Executive Club Lounge which overlooks the approach to Runway 25R. The lounge provides hot meals at the usual meal times and cold snacks and drinks, including alcohol, all through the day, so effectively that covers the cost of your meals. |
| WHAT | From the rooms: all traffic taxiing east of the North Satellite Concourse. From the lounge: Arrivals on Runway 25R only; (even heavy departures from 07L are too high by this point). |
| TIME | Taxiway: mornings only until about 10am in the winter; 1pm in the summer. For runway: mornings only in the summer; almost all day in the winter. |
| MISC. | Although the Regal Hotel can be expensive, they sometimes do good deals for their Executive Rooms. The hotel rooms are double glazed but at least it’s possible to open the inner window to make photography a bit easier. Care is needed to avoid reflections in your photos. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 40 – 150mm |
Samples taken from the room:
T2 Drop Off Area – 25R Arrivals
| WHERE | When Sky Deck is closed you can use this spot for 25R arrivals. The area is located on level 4 of Terminal 2 close to the the taxi and bus drop off. Just go outside of the terminal and move to the end of the pavement. You can stay in the shadows. |
| WHAT | Arriving aircraft on 25R. |
| TIME | Morning until afternoon in winter, in summer until noon. |
| MISC. | All facilities in the terminal. Food, drinks, supermarkets, restrooms. Your views are obstructed by lightpoles. So especially for larger aircraft it might be not easy to catch the right moment. But after a few minutes you will get used to the situation. 90° pictures are hardly possible. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 280 mm for A320 approaching 25R. |
Bus Stop Asia World Expo – 25R Arrivals
| WHERE | This spot might be also used in case the Sky Deck is closed. It can be reached by bus S1 from Terminal 1 ground level or all Airport Buses from the city (e.g. E11, E32, E41) ending at terminus “Asia World Expo”. Bus S1 operates every 5 – 8 minutes, the airport buses approximately every 20 minutes. Just get off the bus at “Asia World Expo” station. The Airport Express train terminus is also just a 2 minutes walk away. If you want to get back to the terminal, use Airport Express train as the ticket costs just 6 HKD. Buses take longer and the price is higher. Walking from and to the terminal is currently not the best idea as the area around the spot is blocked by extensive construction works. At the spot you can stay under a large roof in the shadow. |
| WHAT | Arriving aircraft on 25R. |
| TIME | Good until noon in summer. In winter until 16:00 for 25R. |
| MISC. | All facilities in the terminal. Food, drinks, supermarkets, restrooms. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 250 mm for A320 approaching 25R. |
Terminal 1 Departure Area – 25L Arrivals & 07R Departures
| WHERE | The spot is located outside Terminal 1 on the drop-off level. Leave T1 next to check-in area B and move a few meters where the smoking area can be seen. You will be in the shadow, you can take a seat and you can even smoke a cigarette (if needed…) |
| WHAT | Heavy departures on 07R. Small aircraft will be already far too high. Some cargo flights will land on 25L, but these are rare. |
| TIME | You are facing the sun until noon in summer, but in the afternoon pictures will be fine. In winter the spot can only be used on cloudy days. |
| MISC. | All facilities in the terminal. Food, drinks, supermarkets, restrooms. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Ca. 250 mm for departing heavy. |
Bridge East Coast Rd - 07R departures, 25L arrivals
| WHERE | This is an alternative to the locations 2 and 3 as your are closer to the 07R departures. The spot itself is on a sidewalk of a bridge that runs over the airport road. It is next to the CAD and Cathy Dragon buildings. You can take S1 Bus from Tung Chung and get off at CAD Headquarters, walk around 1 minute to adjust your preferred position. You can take the same bus and ride to the terminal for 1 stop. Is is not possible to walk there through all the highways to and from the terminal. |
| WHAT | You can get aircraft departing 07R. 25L will be also possible there. |
| TIME | Morning until afternoon. |
| MISC. | Nothing close to this spot. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 200mm for most heavies. |
Spot 14 - S Perimeter Rd - 25L departures
| WHERE | Take the bus S52 from “Tung Chung MTR” bus station in the direction “Aircraft Maintenance Area” (buses will come every 20 mins). And then exit at terminus “Government Flying Service” (On the south perimeter road). After exiting the bus continue walking in the same direction that the bus was going, and walk for around 10 minutes. You want to keep walking until there are no buildings/poles in the way (You can move around in this area to find the best spot possible (for 777’s you may want to walk further down as they become airborne further down the runway than A320’s will)). Best to find a spot on the grassy banks where trees don’t cover the view above you. |
| WHAT | 25L Departures can be seen just after rotation from here, but that is all you will see. All taxiways/runways are blocked by a fence. |
| TIME | Best from sunrise to noon during any month of the year. |
| MISC. | No facilities on site, so you will need to go to the terminal for food/toilets. Surrounded by trees so there is always shade, the sun/heat is not a big problem. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 300mm max. But any smaller lens will still work very well at this site. Even phones can work. |
48 Comments
Given that 07L/25R is now closed from APR onwards UFN, all departures and arrivals will be using 07R/25L. Although the number of traffic has dropped by 97%, there is always chance now to spot passenger flights landing 07R at HAECO area.
Another option for 25R arrivals would be inside the Airport Express AsiaWorld Expo station, at the ticket hall level above the platform. You don’t need long lenses here, 100mm should be more than enough, even phones would work here, similar to spot 7. Reflection from the glass doesn’t seem to be a problem. The MTR staff doesn’t seem to be much of a problem, I once stood there for over an hour and the staff didn’t seem to care, even when big events are going on in the expo. Nevertheless, stay low profile and avoid standing near the gate lines.
Hi, just a tip got anyone spotting this month/near future. There are large capacity cuts to HKG and the airport is much quieter than usual. Almost all Freighters will use 25L/07R and more passenger aircraft than usual will too. Spotting certain local registrations will not be possible as much of the CX/KA/HX/UO fleet is parked on stands and taxiways next to the Satellite terminal. However it is a good chance to spot aircraft that are usually not in HKG due to many downgrades by foreign carriers.
Given that we cant enter the terminal without a boarding pass, how do we get to Spot 7 after exiting the Airport Express?
Appreciate if someone can let me know. Thank you
Hi there!
Spot #7 is not located inside the terminal and can be reached by foot easily or did I misunderstood your worries? If so, I am sorry for that…
Hope this answer your question already – if not, just reask them again please…
-Severin
That works..just wanted to make sure I can find this spot after exiting the airport express and not have to enter the terminal in order to reach the location. In fact, which route would you recommend taking to get there please? Thanks again!
Good. Way to take marked on the map; take car, start on the ground level and not on departure drop off level.
-Severin
Hi Jonathan,
There are extensive road and construction works all around this area. At my last visit in May I had to get down to the street level and walk along the Regal Hotel to cross the street. There is also a bus stop close to the Regal Hotel. But this this stop will only be served by a few lines.
At spot 7 I was sent away by the workers after 10 minutes as there was a construction site with a lot of traffic by trucks and excavators. So I found spot 11 which was a calm and covered place at the bus terminus. Maybe you try to get there instead in case runway 25 is in use. But from my experience in winter mostly runway 07 will be used.
Marcus
Thank you guys!
Please be advised that spot 13 is “restricted area”
When I was there a few days ago, I was kindly asked to move along by Road management officials.
So if you’re planning to attend this spot be aware that you might be moved along.
Thank you
Hi, maybe this is because of the demonstrations in Hong Kong. Spotting is not so easy there as the security situation is very tense.
-Julian
Please note spot 5 is really very good location for spotting. The Zhuhai Macau bridge does not obstruct the view for 07R takeoffs.
Hey guys,
anybody coming for spotting to HKG upcoming weekend Oct 10-13?
Thanks for the note James and Anjin. We left a not in the guide.
-Julian
I was at the airport today and wanted to get in to visit the observation deck for some photography. Just a note for any spotters in Hong Kong: forget about Spot 1 for the foreseeable future unless you have an air ticket. Because of the ongoing protests only those with valid air tickets can get inside the terminal. Other spots near the terminal are also difficult to get to because of lots of construction and detours, so try to avoid the terminals completely is my advice.