Fanling Airstrip

The airstrip was a British military facility. Its closure was a direct result of the withdrawal of the British Armed Forces from Hong Kong ahead of the territory's handover to the People's Republic of China on July 1, 1997. With the departure of the British garrison, the airstrip's military purpose became obsolete.

The site of the former Fanling Airstrip has been completely absorbed into the grounds of the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling. The land where the runway once existed is now part of the 'Old Course' fairways and is indistinguishable from the rest of the golf course. The surrounding military barracks (Cassino Lines) were handed over to the Hong Kong Government and the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). A portion of the old barracks is now the San Wai Barracks, used by the PLA Hong Kong Garrison. There are no physical remnants of the airstrip visible today.

Fanling Airstrip, also known as RAF Fanling, was a small military airfield operated by the British Army and Royal Air Force. It was an integral part of the Cassino Lines barracks, which housed the British Gurkha regiments. The airstrip consisted of a short, unpaved grass or laterite runway. Its primary function was to support British military operations in the New Territories. It handled light fixed-wing aircraft, such as the Auster AOP (Air Observation Post), for reconnaissance, liaison, and artillery spotting. It was also heavily used by helicopters of the Army Air Corps, like the Westland Scout and Bell Sioux, for troop transport, border patrol along the nearby frontier with mainland China, and general support for the garrison. The airstrip was strategically important for quick deployment and surveillance in the northern part of Hong Kong during the British colonial era.

There are zero plans or prospects for reopening the Fanling Airstrip. The land is extremely valuable and is currently occupied by a major private golf club. The area is now heavily urbanized, making any aviation activity impractical and unsafe. Furthermore, the ongoing public and political debate concerning the Fanling golf course land is focused on its potential redevelopment for public housing to alleviate Hong Kong's severe housing shortage, not on restoring it as an airfield.