The Most Dangerous (And Expensive) Airports Ever Built

64. Kai Tak Airport – Hong Kong

Year of construction: 1925
Risk factors: Mountains, wind shears

For decades, Kai Tak was Hong Kong’s international airport. It was closed in 1998, and it was called Hong Kong International for the last thirty years of its existence. Kai Take used to be the go-to way to get to Hong Kong, but it’s probably best that it no longer holds that distinction.

Kai Tak Airport – Hong Kong ©christian hanuise / Wikimedia.org

There were a lot of mountains surrounding the airport, which often caused a meteor wind-shear. The wind shear, especially at such a low altitude, was a huge threat to pilots taking off and landing, as the shear not only could make planes deviate, they could make them lose their stability.