Cathay re-flies the legendary Kai Tak low-altitude landing over the new stadium

Kai Tak's Runway 13 approach was among aviation's most dramatic: aircraft made a 47-degree turn below 500 feet, passing within metres of apartment buildings, several times an hour, until the airport closed in 1998. What remained were photographs and the memories of people who watched from their rooftops.

In 2025 the Kai Tak Stadium opened on the old runway site and hosted the first edition of the Hong Kong Sevens there. Cathay — title sponsor of the tournament and an airline that had begun operations at Kai Tak in the 1940s — was also facing its weakest local sentiment in six years.

With government approval, a Cathay A350 flew the old low-altitude route across Victoria Harbour. Thirty thousand spectators inside the stadium watched it live while the pilots narrated the approach; official photos and social footage followed within 24 hours and spread without paid distribution.

Hong Kong's sentiment toward Cathay turned positive for the first time in six years and has remained positive since. A documentary about the flight reached nine million views in a city of roughly seven million, and the work took the Grande Outdoor Lotus at ADFEST 2026 plus a Silver Outdoor Lion at Cannes 2026.