Aerial view of Chek Lap Kok and Tung Chung

In the late 1980s, after an extensive study, the island of Chek Lap Kok off the northwest coast of Lantau Island was chosen as the site for Hong Kong's new international airport. The Tung Chung Valley in the background was also earmarked for development as Hong Kong's ninth new town, the first on an outlying island. At the time, Chek Lap Kok was uninhabited and Tung Chung was a small coastal village accessible only by sea.