Kitakyushu Airport
Template:Short description Template:Infobox airport
Template:Nihongo Template:Airport codes, sometimes called Kokuraminami Airport, is an airport in Kokuraminami-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is built on an artificial island in the western Seto Inland Sea, Template:Convert away from the city's downtown. It opened on 16 March 2006, as Template:Nihongo but was renamed in 2008. It has some international charter flights.
It is one of the six airports in Japan to operate 24 hours a day, alongside Haneda Airport (Tokyo), Naha Airport (Naha), New Chitose Airport (Sapporo), Kansai International Airport (Osaka), and Chubu Centrair International Airport (Nagoya).
History
{{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= Template:Ambox }} }} The former airport also known as Kokura Airport had restrictions on aircraft operation due to its small size and location, close to mountains and residential areas. Heavy fog often resulted in flight cancellations. There were similar problems at the nearby Fukuoka Airport, which cannot operate 24 hours due to proximity to residential areas.
A new airport was intended to be free from such problems due to its offshore location, making possible 24-hour operation unlike these 2 airports. Large cargo planes can use the airport, making possible convenient freight movement to and from nearby industrial zones. Toyota has a factory just across the bay from the airport.
Construction
A committee to promote the construction of the new airport was founded in 1978, with the governor of Fukuoka as chairman. Construction began in October 1994.
The new airport was anticipated by residents in and around the cities of Kitakyushu and Shimonoseki. The Kitakyushu municipal government organized bus tours to the construction site for interested citizens in an attempt to defuse controversy over the construction. The airport officially opened on March 16, 2006.
Flights
The first aircraft to land at the airport was a StarFlyer Airbus on March 16, 2006. The first international flight from Shanghai landed on March 30, 2006. A Korean low-cost carrier, Jeju Air, flew eight charter flights from Kitakyushu to Incheon International Airport in summer 2008. Scheduled service on the route started in March 2009.
Dimensions
{{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= Template:Ambox }} }} The runway is Template:Convert (with a separate taxiway of Template:Convert), enough to accommodate Boeing 747s and other large jet aircraft. The manmade island on which the airport is built is Template:Convert long and Template:Convert wide (Template:Convert). Due to the island's size and the relative shallowness of the surrounding water, which is about Template:Convert in depth, the expansion is being conducted, starting with a Template:Convert runway extension to Template:Convert). Construction to extend the runway to Template:Convert began in December 2023. Completion is scheduled for August 2027.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
{{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= Template:Ambox }} }} Template:Airport-dest-list
Cargo
- Cargo flights of Yamato Transport are operated by Spring Airlines Japan.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Other facilities
The airline StarFlyer has its head office on the airport property.<ref>"会社概要." StarFlyer. Retrieved on December 20, 2010. "本社 〒800-0306 福岡県北九州市小倉南区空港北町6番 北九州空港スターフライヤー本社ビル"</ref>
Statistics
Access
Road
A 2.1 km toll-free bridge connects the island to the Higashikyūshū Expressway via the Kanda-Kitakyushukūkō interchange.
Bus
| Terminal | Via | Note | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunatsu | Kokura Station Bus Center | Nishitetsu | |
| Kitakyushu Science and Research Park | Orio, Kurosaki | ||
| Kusami Station | Runs on automated driving<ref>About auto operator bus</ref> | ||
| Hakata Station | Tenjin | only at midnight and early morning |
References
External links
- Official website Template:Webarchive
- Official website Template:In lang
- {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }} Template:Small