Wikipedia

Nagasaki Airport

Nagasaki Airport (長崎空港, Nagasaki Kūkō) (IATA: NGS, ICAO: RJFU) is an airport located off the coast of Ōmura, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. The airport was the first airport in the world to be built on the ocean, using an existing small island located in the center of Ōmura Bay, with land areas that were fully reclaimed.

Nagasaki Airport

長崎空港
Nagasaki Kūkō
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorCivil Aviation Bureau
ServesNagasaki Prefecture
LocationŌmura, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan
OpenedMay 1, 1975; 49 years ago (1975-05-01)
Hub forOriental Air Bridge
Elevation AMSL8 ft / 2 m
Coordinates32°55′01″N 129°54′49″E / 32.91694°N 129.91361°E / 32.91694; 129.91361
Websitewww.nagasaki-airport.jp
Map
NGS/RJFU is located in Nagasaki Prefecture
NGS/RJFU
NGS/RJFU
Location in Nagasaki Prefecture
NGS/RJFU is located in Japan
NGS/RJFU
NGS/RJFU
Location in Japan
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
14/32 3,000 9,843 Asphalt concrete
18/36 1,200 3,937 Asphalt concrete
Statistics (2022)
Passengers2,573,071
Cargo (metric tonnes)4,143
Aircraft movement15,791

Nagasaki Airport was built to replace the former airport called Omura Airport, which was located on the mainland and had a shorter runway of 1,200 metres (3,900 ft). The former airport was transferred to the Japan Self-Defense Force in 2011, and was renamed into Omura Air Base.

Oriental Air Bridge, a regional airline is based at the airport.[2]

History

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Aerial photograph of Nagasaki Airport under construction taken in 1974; the year before it opened. The former airport is located in the top right corner.

The mainland portion of the airport opened as an Imperial Japanese Navy airfield in 1923, and served as the main base for the now defunct 21st Naval Air Base.[3][4] During World War II, several aircraft factories were constructed near the airfield and the base was used extensively for manufacturing and repairing many aircraft.[5] After the war, the airfield was converted into a civilian airport and was named Omura Airport (大村空港) in 1955. The terminal building was completed four years later in 1959.[6][7]

All Nippon Airways began flying to Nagasaki from Fukuoka in May 1959.[8]

In the 1960s, Nagasaki Prefecture was considering building a new airport due to the shift in jet-powered aircraft and due to the number of flights increasing at the airport. Initially, the prefecture planned to expand the former airport, but the plan was abandoned, due to geographical issues.[6] The Prefecture decided to construct the new airport on Mishima Island (Japanese: 箕島), an island located off the coast of the mainland in Ōmura Bay. Before the construction began, 66 residents in 13 households lived on the island and after several years of persuasion from prefecture officials, all of them agreed to move out so that the new airport could be built.[6][9]

Construction of the new airport began in 1972 and took three years to complete. Constructing the airport required flattening parts of the island's hills and reclaiming land around its shore, expanding it from 0.9 to 1.54 km2 (0.35 to 0.59 sq mi).[4] Around the same time, the Mishima Ohashi Bridge (Japanese: 箕島大橋), a 970 meter long bridge, which connects the island from the mainland was built. Construction of the new airport costed around 18 billion yen.[9][10]

The current island runway and terminal opened on May 1, 1975,[9] and became Japan's first full-scale airport built over water.[11] It was also the first airport in the world to be built on the ocean.[9][11][12]

Nagasaki's first international service, to Shanghai, commenced in September 1979 and the main runway was extended from 2,500 m to its current length on the following year.[9][6]

On September 2, 1990, when the Nagasaki Travel Expo was being held in the city of Nagasaki, an Air France Concorde landed at Nagasaki Airport for the first time. An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 onlookers gathered at the airport, causing severe traffic jams.[13][14]

The mainland portion of the airport was abolished in 2011 and was transferred to the Japan Self-Defense Forces, where it was renamed into Omura Air Base.[15]

Before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hong Kong Express and China Eastern Airlines operated international flights to and from Hong Kong and Shanghai respectively. In February 2020, the two airlines suspended operations, and international flights at the airport temporarily ceased to exist. In October 2023, China Eastern Airlines resumed flights between Nagasaki and Shanghai after three years and eight months of absence.[16]

Airlines and destinations

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AirlinesDestinations
All Nippon Airways Tokyo–Haneda
ANA Wings Nagoya–Centrair, Osaka–Itami
China Eastern Airlines Shanghai–Pudong[17]
J-Air Osaka–Itami
Japan Airlines Tokyo–Haneda
Jeju Air Muan[18]
Jetstar Japan Tokyo–Narita
Korean Air Seoul–Incheon[19]
Oriental Air Bridge Fukue, Iki, Tsushima
Peach Osaka–Kansai
Skymark Airlines Kobe
Solaseed Air Tokyo–Haneda

Statistics

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Annual passenger traffic at NGS airport. See Wikidata query.
Year Total passengers [20]
1998 3,090,345
1999 3,056,828
2000 2,958,058
2001 2,846,646
2002 2,853,510
2003 2,834,289
2004 2,637,308

Ground and water transportation

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Bus

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Limousine bus operated by the Nagasaki Prefectural Bus

Several bus companies connect the airport from the cities of Nagasaki, Isahaya, Sasebo, Shimabara, and their surrounding stations.[21]

Ferry

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The airport ferry, which is operated by Yasuda Sangyo Kisen [ja] connects the town of Togitsu[22] and the Huis Ten Bosch theme park.[23]

Accidents and Incidents

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  • On July 26, 2008 at 5:25 PM, a privately-owned small plane (SOKATA TB-10 manufactured by Aérospatiale) crashed into Ōmura Bay 300 meters from the airport shortly after takeoff. All three passengers were rescued, but one suffered severe injuries and died two days later.
  • On June 29, 2017 at around 10:30 AM, a small plane used for pilot training owned by Sojo University (Beechcraft Baron 58) landed at the airport without extending its landing gear. The airport was closed for over three hours and 18 flights were cancelled. All three passengers onboard were unharmed.[24]
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  •  
    The airport's control tower
  •  
    Airport apron
  •  
    Check-in counters
  •  
    Observation deck
  •  
    Aerial view of the airport (2021)

References

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  1. ^ "空港管理状況". Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Archived from the original on 30 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  2. ^ "会社案内". 27 March 2018. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  3. ^ "第21海軍航空廠があった街". 大村観光ナビ (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2023-09-29. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  4. ^ a b Naotsugu Nishizono. "新大村空港の建設計画" [The construction of the New Omura Airport] (PDF). 日本建設機械化協会. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
  5. ^ "大村市の誕生と太平洋戦争" (PDF) (in Japanese). 大村市. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 19, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d "長崎空港は世界初の海上空港！大村湾に浮かぶ小島が国際空港に変貌" [Nagasaki Airport is the world's first maritime airport! A small island floating in Omura Bay is transformed into an international airport]. まっぷるトラベルガイド (in Japanese). 14 April 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-12-05. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  7. ^ "現空港に近すぎ？な元祖「長崎空港」とは 他空港とは一味違う珍経緯、そして跡地の"いま"". 乗りものニュース (in Japanese). 9 July 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-12-05. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  8. ^ "ANA 長崎就航60周年 歴代の制服ずらり 空港で式典". 長崎新聞 (in Japanese). 2019-05-12. Archived from the original on 2023-12-08. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Airport Overview". Nagasaki Airport Building Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on 2018-08-03. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
  10. ^ "【動画】橋物語・箕島大橋 世界初の海上空港とを結ぶ大橋". 長崎新聞 (in Japanese). 2021-06-13. Archived from the original on 2023-12-07. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  11. ^ a b "Why Does Asia Have So Many Artificial Island Airports?". Airways Magazine. Archived from the original on 2023-11-13. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  12. ^ "長崎空港 ～世界初の海上空港～". 国土交通省 (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2023-06-10. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  13. ^ "大村湾から未来への flight" (PDF) (in Japanese). 大村市. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  14. ^ "【平成の長崎】コンコルド飛来 旅博訪欧親善団乗せ 平成２（１９９０）年". 長崎新聞 (in Japanese). 2018-09-02. Archived from the original on 2023-11-13. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  15. ^ "平成27年度航空機騒音調査結果（長崎空港・大村飛行場周辺）" (PDF) (Press release). 長崎県. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-04-18. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  16. ^ "長崎と上海を結ぶ便が約４年ぶりに再開 空港で記念セレモニー" [Flights connecting Nagasaki and Shanghai resume after four years; commemorative ceremony is held at the airport]. NHK (in Japanese). 2023-10-30. Archived from the original on 2023-10-31. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  17. ^ "国際線＜長崎-上海＞ 運航再開". 長崎空港. Archived from the original on 2024-02-19. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  18. ^ "Jeju Air Expands Muan International Service in Dec 2024". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  19. ^ "[단독] 日 나가사키 하늘길 5년 7개월 만에 부활…대한항공 10월 27일 취항" [[Exclusive] Nagasaki route reopen after 5 years and 7 months...Korean Air launches on 27 October] (in Korean). The Guru News. 22 August 2024.
  20. ^ "Nagasaki Airport -About Nagasaki airport". Archived from the original on 2007-02-16. Retrieved 2007-02-19.
  21. ^ "バス". 長崎空港. Archived from the original on 2023-11-13. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  22. ^ "交通アクセス". 時津町 (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2023-11-13. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  23. ^ "Access to Huis Ten Bosch". ハウステンボス. Archived from the original on 2023-11-13. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  24. ^ "長崎空港の小型機胴体着陸、滑走路の閉鎖を解除-産経WEST". 2017-06-29. Retrieved 2018-06-27.
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