People search for this place under several names — RUNWAY 1331, Runway1331, and the Chinese 啟航1331 or 启航1331. They all mean the same site. This post explains it from the start.
The short version
RUNWAY 1331 is a youth village on Shing Fung Road, Kai Tak, Kowloon. It sits on the runway of the old Kai Tak airport, with water on three sides. The site covers roughly 100,000 square metres of land and floor area, holds more than 2,500 rooms, and also has culture and arts zones, sports courts and a 680-metre street of shops and studios.
Its Chinese name is 啟航1331 (启航1331 in simplified characters). You’ll see both names on maps, social media and in the news.
Where the name comes from
“1331” isn’t a street number. It’s a runway designation. Kai Tak had a single runway, 13/31, built out from the Kowloon peninsula into Victoria Harbour. Aircraft landing on 13 had to bank hard at low altitude over Kowloon City to line up with it, and pilots around the world still talk about that approach.
The Chinese name 啟航 borrows 啟 from Kai Tak (啟德) and pairs it with 航, the character for flights and setting off. The full story of the runway is in 13/31: the runway you live on.
What it used to be
After the airport closed in 1998, the reclaimed land sat empty for years.
In 2022 the Kai Tak community isolation facility was built here with central government support, with rows of modular units laid out along the old runway. That’s why some maps and older news stories still call it the Kai Tak isolation facility. It’s the same place.
In 2025 the site became a youth platform. The modular blocks were repainted and given external stairs, the rooms were refitted, open ground became courts and lawns, and the village reopened as RUNWAY 1331.
What’s inside
Places to stay. The 2,500-plus rooms come in two kinds: a youth hostel charged by the night for short visits, and youth apartments let by the month for people living in Hong Kong.
Places to work. Culture and arts zones and creative studios, with shared offices. Plenty of residents work or make things a few floors down from where they sleep.
Places to play. Basketball and pickleball courts, a skate park and the 680-metre street that runs through the site. Step outside and you’re on the harbour promenade, next to the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal and Runway Park.
Getting around. A free shuttle bus runs to and from the nearest MTR station, and there are shared-bike docks on site. The area is served by Kai Tak and Sung Wong Toi stations on the Tuen Ma line.
The landmark. A retired Government Flying Service aircraft sits on the lawn beside a set of rainbow-coloured RUNWAY 1331 letters. Most first-time visitors take a photo there before anything else.
Who lives at RUNWAY 1331
Mostly young people: local and non-local students, people in their first jobs, freelancers, and small teams working on projects together.
Three things tend to bring them here. Every room has its own bathroom, so there’s nothing to share. The courts, the waterfront and the shops are downstairs, so daily life doesn’t always mean going out. And a monthly lease is far more flexible than Hong Kong’s usual two-year tenancy.
How to live there
It depends on how long you’re staying.
For a night or two, you want the village youth hostel. For a semester, a work contract or longer, you want a monthly apartment. CityHome runs more than 1,000 of them, in four layouts: Classic Single A, Classic Single B, the Twin Room and the Studio Office. Every one has a private bathroom, a washing machine and a fridge.
The differences between the two are set out in CityHome or the village hostel?
Three common questions
Are RUNWAY 1331, 啟航1331 and the Kai Tak isolation facility the same place? Yes. The isolation facility was the 2022 name. RUNWAY 1331 and 啟航1331 are the English and Chinese names it has used since 2025.
What’s the nearest MTR station to RUNWAY 1331? The area is on the Tuen Ma line, with Kai Tak and Sung Wong Toi stations nearby. Residents can use the free shuttle to and from the MTR. The details are in how to get to RUNWAY 1331.
Is RUNWAY 1331 only for short stays? No. The hostel charges by the night, but CityHome lets by the month, and the room is yours for the whole lease.
The quickest way to know
After reading this you have a fair idea of what RUNWAY 1331 is. How a place feels to live in is still something you have to see in person. Book a viewing and we’ll walk you from the room to the aircraft on the lawn. It takes about half an hour.