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IF KaiTak were still open today, would the A380 have been able to land on/ depart from/ taxi in it?
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Land and take-off in theory would have been possible. The runway was 11,000ft long and also wide enough to not pose any FOD risk for the outboard engines on the A380. What would have kept the A380 from Kai Tak would be the taxiway system though. The main taxiway alongside the runway was very close to the runway, only around 360 feet apart centerline-to-centerline, leaving not much room for error with 744s as is, let alone for A380s. And never mind that with Kai Taks complicated approach landings on either side of the centerline weren't unusual. Not to mention that taxiing around the apron between all the parked planes would have been impossible as well. Granted, they could probably have repainted the markings on the apron to make taxiways A380-wide, but then would have lost hardstands for the planes, and there was a lack of those to begin with. -
I suspect that the major constraint would have been the congested ramp space/maneuvring areas.Comment
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Thanks for the replies!
I was looking at some overview shots of KaiTak and I can't seem to find a 777-300 parked at the main apron area where the jetways/ contact gates are. They are always parked at the remote stands.
Where the parking spots too short for the 773?Comment
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The 777-300 entered airline service shortly after Kai Tak closed, so the question never arose.Originally posted by hikouki View PostComment
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I know my papa flew a CX 773 to Kai Tak in the late nineties.Originally posted by HalcyonDays View Post
EDIT: Should clarify the above. My dad was a passenger on a 773 to Kai Tak. lolComment
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OK, fair enough. I was out by a few months, but the CX 777-300 entered service in May 1998, less than two months before Kai Tak closed. So I don't suppose it was a long-term problem, assuming it was a problem, since no doubt some temporary maneuvring arrangement was reached in the short time a few -300s were operational there.Originally posted by Ychocky View PostComment
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Yes, mostly CX 773s used Kaitak. Not many photos of them there.
I asked this question as I seem to recall seeing a photo of them being parked at a very remote area - the one opposite the runway and never on the main apron area.Comment
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I think the A380 requires a larger turning radius and larger parking space than 747 and 773. I don't think the parking slots at Kai Tak will be able to handle them. Even in the new HKG, only 4 or 6 parking slots can handle the A380 and they have to be specifically modified after the spec of the aircraft came out.
That said, it does not mean A380 cannot use Kai Tak. There have been a case that a chartered AN-124 has used Kai Tak. The runway of Kai Tak is long enough. The A380 will be able to use Kai Tak if it was treated specially. First, the taxiway along side the runway has to be cleared before the A380 uses the runway. The A380 then needs to use the south taxiway (which is a causeway linking the end of runway 13) to the south apron (which is usually use for cargo planes) to exit the runway/taxiway system, and then it needs to be parked at the south apron which passengers bus to/from the pax terminal (which is at the west apron).Next:
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If the A380 was to land at Kai Tak, I would hope there wasn't any wind shear. I've seen some very intense crosswinds pushing 747's that were coming in.
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Its always good to check the facts before posting, CX operated at LEAST 2 777-300's from Kait Tak.
I don't know any of the figures but I would say the A380 could land at Kai Tak without any problem... the problem starts once it vacates the runway!!
It was the same when the AN124 visited Kai Tak (Yes it did I can confirm that 100% as I watched it land on runway 31) There was not enough clearance for the wings of the AN124 on the runway and any other large airliner on the taxiiway.
As for the parking and the moving about, yes I would think that would also be a problem.Comment
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