Haneda Airport

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Haneda Airport (羽田空港) or Tokyo International Airport is one of the two primary airports serving the greater Tokyo Area. Located in Ota-ku, Tokyo, Haneda Airport was the original airport serving Tokyo until Narita Airport was built and opened in 1978 to handle the region’s international flights. However, in recent years, international flights out of Haneda have increased dramatically with charters to South Korea and China. Each year, Haneda handles more than 65 million passengers a year and is the busiest airport in Asia and fourth busiest in the world after Atlanta, O’Hare and Heathrow.

History

Opened in 1931, Haneda Airfield was located on a small piece of land that was only a small part of today’s complex. It was the largest non-military airport in Japan at the time and it became the main operating airport for Japan Air Transport. During the first decade of operation, the airport handled flights to Japan, Manchuria, and Korea. In 1939, the original runway and a new runway were completed to 800m.

Following World War II, US occupation acquired the airport and made it an Army Air Base. Runways were extended to 1650 and 2100 meters and the first international flight was received here in 1947 from Northwest Orient Airlines. Service between the United States, China, South Korea, and Philippines started shortly thereafter. The airport was returned to Japanese control in 1952 and it was renamed to Tokyo International Airport. The remaining parts of the base were returned to Japan in 1958.

The Tokyo Monorail was extended to Haneda from Central Tokyo just before the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 and travel restrictions imposed by Japan were lifted, causing a surge of new activity at the airport. Because of continued demand and a lack of ability or land to continue expanding, a new airport was conceived in the 1960s and construction was started in 1966 for completion in 1978 of Narita Airport, taking over most international flights.

Construction

Haneda has continued to expand, despite relocation of many of its flights in the 1970s. Currently a fourth runway is under construction and scheduled for completion in 2010, allowing Haneda to increase capacity from 285,000 to 407,000 per year. This will also allow an additional 60,000 international overseas flights each year from Haneda, including Korea, China, and far east Russia. Additionally, a third terminal only for international flights is scheduled for completion in December of 2009. It will be five stories high with a 2300 car parking structure.

Terminals and Airlines

Currently there are three terminals in Haneda Airport. Terminals 1 and 2 are connected by an underground walkway with a shuttle between both major and the smaller terminal. Managed by Japan Airport Terminal Co., Ltd, the terminals are separate from the airport which is run by the government.

Terminal 1

Opened in 1993, Terminal 1 is home to service from the following airlines:

Terminal 2

Opened in 2004, Terminal 2 is a massive space with a six story marketplace, a 387 room hotel, and a open air restaurant on the roof. Current airlines operating out of Terminal 2 include:

International Terminal

Currently handling only charter flights and scheduled flights normally taking off from Narita Airport, the International Terminal flies mainly to other Asian countries, including China, Hong Kong, and South Korea. Airlines flying out of this terminal include: