Kitakyushu Airport

Kitakyushu Airport (北九州空港, Kitakyūshū-kūkō) (IATA: KKJ, ICAO: RJFR), sometimes called Kokuraminami Airport, is an airport in Kokuraminami-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan. It is built on an artificial island in the western Seto Inland Sea, 3 km (1.9 mi) away from the main body of the city. It opened on March 16, 2006, as New Kitakyushu Airport (新北九州空港, Shin-kitakyūshū-kūkō) but was renamed in 2008. It is designated a second class airport, and it has some international charter flights.

Kitakyushu Airport

北九州空港

Kitakyūshū-kūkō
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorMinistry of Transport (airfield)
Kitakyushu Air Terminal Co. (terminal)
ServesKitakyushu, Japan
Opened16 March 2006 (2006-03-16)
Hub forStarFlyer
Elevation AMSL21 ft / 6 m
Coordinates33°50′44″N 131°02′06″E
Map
RJFR
Location in Fukuoka Prefecture
RJFR
Location in Japan
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
18/36 2,500 8,202 Asphalt/Concrete
Statistics (2015)
Passengers1,317,504
Cargo (metric tonnes)7,922
Aircraft movement17,461

It is the fourth airport in Japan to begin operating 24 hours a day, after New Chitose Airport (Sapporo), Kansai International Airport (Osaka), and Chūbu Centrair International Airport (Nagoya).

History

The former Kitakyushu 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 engage in nighttime operations 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. 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
StarFlyer Airbus A320-200 at the airport

The first aircraft to land at the airport was a StarFlyer Airbus on March 26, 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.

Events

Several events were held to commemorate the opening of the airport. A marathon was held on February 5, 2006 with half-marathon, 10 kilometre and five kilometre courses to celebrate the opening of the new airport. On June 4, 2006, a rugby game was played at Honjo Stadium between Japan and Tonga as part of the inaugural IRB Pacific 5 Nations series.

On August 2, 2006, the one-millionth user of the airport was presented with souvenirs. By July 11, 2007, 3 million passengers had used the airport.

Dimensions

The runway is 2,500 by 60 m (8,202 by 197 ft) (with a separate taxiway of 2,500 by 30 m (8,202 by 98 ft)), enough to accommodate Boeing 747s and other large jet aircraft. The manmade island on which the airport is built is 4,125 m (13,533 ft) long and 900 m (2,953 ft) wide (3.73 km2 (1.44 sq mi)). Due to the island's size and the relative shallowness of the surrounding water, which is about 7 m (23 ft) in depth, future expansion is possible, 500 meter extension (to 3K) work to begin in 2021.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger
Terminal lobby seen from the departure lounge
AirlinesDestinations
China Eastern Airlines Dalian[2]
Fuji Dream Airlines Shizuoka
Japan Airlines Tokyo–Haneda
Jin Air Busan, Seoul–Incheon
StarFlyer Naha, Taipei–Taoyuan, Tokyo–Haneda

Cargo
AirlinesDestinations
ANA Cargo Naha
Korean Air Cargo Los Angeles, Seoul–Incheon[3]

Other facilities
StarFlyer headquarters

The airline StarFlyer has its head office on the airport property.[4]

Access
Bridge to Kitakyushu Airport

Road

A 2.1 km toll-free bridge connects the island to the Higashikyūshū Expressway via the Kanda-Kitakyushukūkō interchange.

Bus
TerminalViaNoteOperator
Sunatsu Kokura Station Bus Center Nishitetsu
Kitakyushu Science and Research Park Orio, Kurosaki
Kusami Station
Hakata Station Tenjin only at midnight and early morning
Beppu Station ends 31 July 2019 Oita Kotsu, Kamenoi Bus


References
  1. "Kitakyushu Airport" (PDF). Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  2. https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/285402/china-eastern-adds-dalian-kitakyushu-service-from-aug-2019/
  3. "대한항공, 일본 기타큐슈 화물기 신규 취항" (in Korean). Korea Logistics News. 26 November 2019.
  4. "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"
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