Family history across the seas

My 2025 A to Z theme is Airports, Airstrips, Aircraft, and Airlines I’ve known and flown with. I’ll be using IATA codes where they’re available. My inner travel agent emerges at this point as I’m the FTO (family travel organiser) and now, the online travel agent.

HGU    Kagamuga International Airport, Mt Hagen, Western Highlands, PNG

Mt Hagen became one of our visiting places because my sister-in-law was teaching there and later married there at one of the coffee tea plantations. Our first flight there was on our eldest daughter’s first birthday and was a lively one. We were supposed to fly on an Ansett DC3, but a cracking storm was coming in, so it was replaced with a Twin Otter. The American tourist mentioned previously said “what’s a Twin Otter”, and when my husband pointed it out he said “that little bitty thing? Those things crash you know”. To which the reply was “not yet”.  Have I mentioned how fatalistic one became when flying in PNG? We were all together so off we went in that little bitty plane. Sure enough, the skies became green with heavy clouds and waterfalls were seen flowing down the mountains. It was indeed a cracker of a storm, but we landed safely so all was well. As the saying goes “there are no old bold pilots” certainly in PNG and you gave thanks for those who could visually recognise landmarks. We both agree there is a photo of the storm from the plane – but where it is mystifies me at present – maybe in one of the myriad slides yet to be scanned.

HKG    Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong.

While this airport was replaced in 1998 by Chek Lap Kok International Airport, Kai Tak was the one I flew into/out of on my two trips to Hong Kong, in 1989 and a brief stopover in 1995.

Flying into Kai Tak wih Cathay Pacific (CX) felt a bit like weaving through the sky-scrapers on approach.

HAN    Nội Bài International Airport, Hanoi, Vietnam

This is the most recent H airport from our travels, flying with Vietnam Airlines (VN). We visited Vietnam in early 2019 on a small group tour. Fortunately, there were no glitches with pick-up this time, unlike in Delhi and our tour guide was an absolute delight throughout the northern part of our tour. We also had a lovely group of 8 other Aussies with whom to travel.

Somewhere along the line we seem to have stopped taking in-flight photos (due to swapping to aisle seats?) or photos of the airport (possibly for security reasons). Maybe it’s partly because we’ve become somewhat blase about airports once through security etc. Instead, I’ll share with you a photo we took in a street near our hotel on the first night.

HUI     Phú Bài International Airport, Huė, Vietnam

Huė was part of our Vietnam holiday and we flew from Hanoi to Huė and then Huė to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon). At each transition we were allocated a new tour guide. Unfortunately, no photos from this airport. I thought I’d share this amusing photo with you, taken at an historic site.

Do you remember any flights that have made you nervous, especially in bad weather? Did you ever fly into Hong Kong via the old Kai Tak airport? Any thoughts on H airports near you?