, also known as Komaki Airport or Nagoya Airport, is an
airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...
which lies within the local government areas of
Toyoyama
Aerial photograph of Toyoyama town in 2019
is a town located in Nishikasugai District, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 15,630 in 6,757 households, and a population density of 2,529 persons per km². The total a ...
,
Komaki,
Kasugai and
Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...
in
Aichi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefecture ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
. It was once an international airport, but is now a domestic secondary airport serving Nagoya while the current primary civil airport for Nagoya is
Chūbu Centrair International Airport
is an international airport on an artificial island in Ise Bay, Tokoname City in Aichi Prefecture, south of Nagoya in central Japan.
Centrair is classified as a first class airport and is the main international gateway for the Chubu ...
in
Tokoname.
It is the main
hub for FDA (
Fuji Dream Airlines), the only
airline
An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in wh ...
that offers scheduled air service from the airfield. It is also used for
general aviation
General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...
and as an
airbase
An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military base by a military force for the operation ...
.
Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation is headquartered in the airport's terminal building, and its parent company
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
is a Japanese multinational engineering, electrical equipment and electronics corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. MHI is one of the core companies of the Mitsubishi Group and its automobile division is the predecessor of Mitsubishi ...
produces the
Mitsubishi Regional Jet aircraft at a factory adjacent to the airport.
Alternate names
* "Nagoya Airfield" is the name as the
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of the national government, as of 2008, recognizes it as an "
other airport".
* The airfield was until the opening of Centrair on February 17, 2005.
* It has been conventionally called .
* Aichi Prefectural Government, the current owner of the airport nicknames it .
* The
Japan Self-Defense Forces shares the runway as a part of . The four
Boeing KC-767J tankers of the
404th Tactical Airlift Tanker Squadron are based there.
History
Nagoya Airport served as the main airport for Nagoya until the opening of Chubu Centrair International Airport on February 17, 2005. This airport
IATA Airport Code used to be NGO (now overtaken by the new Centrair airport), and its
ICAO Airport Code used to be RJNN when it was classified as a
second class airport; the new designations are NKM for regional flights and RJNA designation for general aviation flights. Aichi Prefecture manages the facilities and regularly handles international business flights.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, Nagoya Airport was a busy international airport because of overflow from Japan's other international airports, New Tokyo International Airport (now
Narita International Airport) near
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...
and
Osaka International Airport (Itami Airport) near
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
.
Since the opening of
Kansai International Airport
Kansai International Airport ( ja, 関西国際空港, Kansai Kokusai Kūkō) commonly known as is the primary international airport in the Greater Osaka Area of Japan and the closest international airport to the cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and ...
in 1994, the airport's main traffic source has been the nearby automotive and manufacturing industries, causing carriers such as
United Airlines
United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois. (San Francisco and Chicago–O'Hare) (United, as successor to
Continental Airlines, currently serves Centrair Airport with flights to
Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
) and
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline, along ...
(Portland (OR)) (Delta, as successor to
Northwest Airlines, currently serves Centrair Airport with flights to
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
) to stop flying to Nagoya. Some discount holiday flights still operated from Nagoya, drawing passengers from the
Kansai region.
On the other hand, the
cargo
Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including tra ...
handling capacity of Nagoya Airport was not enough to satisfy the demands from the regional economy and air cargo shifted to Narita and Kansai.
In addition, the airport was hampered by its location in a residential area of Aichi Prefecture, limiting the number of flights that can use the airport, as well as the hours in which they can fly.
Because of these reasons, a new airport,
Chubu Centrair International Airport
is an international airport on an artificial island in Ise Bay, Tokoname City in Aichi Prefecture, south of Nagoya in central Japan.
Centrair is classified as a first class airport and is the main international gateway for the Chubu ("ce ...
, was built on an island south of Nagoya. On February 17, 2005, nearly all of Nagoya Airport's commercial transport flights moved to Centrair. On the same day, the old airport became a general aviation and airbase facility, as well as was renamed to the current names. It also became
J-AIR's headquarters after a hub relocation from
Hiroshima-Nishi Airport. The airline continued to operate through the airport until
Fuji Dream Airlines opened a base at the airport and a corporate restructuring of its parent company
Japan Airlines in 2010 resulted in J-Air's departure from the airport and moving of its operation base to
Itami Airport
, often referred to as is the primary regional airport for the Kansai region of Japan, including the major cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe. Classified as a first class airport, it is the airport closest to Kyoto, southwest of Kyoto Statio ...
in
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
. A dedicated business aviation terminal and commuter flights within Japan then became the key features of Nagoya's secondary airport. The
Aichi Museum of Flight opened at the airport in November 2017.
Military use
Imperial Period
Nagoya Airport was first opened in 1944 as a military airport named Kamake Airfield. It was primarily used as the home base of the 55th ''Sentai'' of the
Imperial Japanese Army Air Service. As such, it was attacked on several occasions during the
Pacific War in 1944 and 1945 by
USAAF B-29 Superfortress
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 ...
bombing raids
Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in total war with the goal of defeating the enemy by destroying its morale, its economic ability to produce and transport materiel to the theatres of military operations, or both. It is a systematica ...
.
U.S. period
After the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, the airfield was taken over by the American occupation forces and renamed Nagoya Air Base. Reconstruction of the heavily damaged airfield began and in May 1946, Nagoya became the Headquarters of the
Fifth Air Force, which controlled Air Force occupation units throughout Japan. In December 1950 during the
Korean War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Korean War
, partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict
, image = Korean War Montage 2.png
, image_size = 300px
, caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...
, Fifth Air Force headquarters was moved to
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
; however, it returned to Nagoya Air Base in September 1954 and remained until July 1957 when it moved to
Fuchu Air Station in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...
as part of the USAF return of Nagoya Airport to Japanese control.
The U.S. primarily used Nagoya Air Base as a headquarters station for the next ten years, stationing several command and control units at the base:
*
308th Bombardment Wing, 1 Mar 1947-30 Jun 1948
: Moved to Nagoya in March from Kimpo Air Base, South Korea where it had been performing occupation duty since moving there from
Okinawa
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 Square kilometre, km2 (880 sq mi).
...
in September 1945
*
85th Fighter Wing, 1 Jun 1947-30 Jun 1948
: Moved from the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
to set up an air defense organization in Japan.
*
314th Air Division
The 314th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Pacific Air Forces at Osan Air Base, South Korea. It became inactive in September 1986.
The unit's origins lie with the World War II 314th Bombardm ...
, 1 Dec 1950-1 Mar 1952
: Activated at Nagoya. During the Korean War it assumed the missions of airfield construction and defense of Japan as well as providing logistical support for the Fifth Air Force.
Operational use from the airfield began in February 1947 when the
347th Fighter Group (All Weather) began operating
P-61 Black Widow interceptor aircraft, which were used to provide air defense for Japan. It operated from the airfield until June 1950 when the Black Widows were retired and the unit was inactivated.
After the Armistice in South Korea which ended combat, the
49th Fighter Group moved to Nagoya Air Base with
F-84 Thunderjets. The unit provided air defense until June 1957 when it moved to
Misawa Air Base.
The 6110th Air Base Group, which had maintained the base and the myriad of ground support units at the base since the Americans moved in during 1946 began phasing down after July 1957. The 6110th USAF Hospital remained open until 30 June 1958 when the last Americans left Nagoya Airfield and it was returned to Japanese control.
Japan Self-Defense Force
In 2009 the first dedicated air-to-air refueling squadron of the
Japan Air Self-Defense Force was formed at Komaki. Named the
404th Tactical Airlift Tanker Squadron, it is equipped with
Boeing KC-767J aircraft.
Statistics
Incidents and accidents
*On April 26, 1994, an
Airbus A300B4-622R jet operating as
China Airlines Flight 140 (B-1816) from
Taipei to Nagoya crashed onto the south-east corner of the airport apron whilst trying to land on Runway 34, killing 264 of the 271 people on board. It is second deadliest crash on Japanese soil, after
Japan Airlines Flight 123.
*On October 31, 2007, a
Mitsubishi F-2 fighter jet, whilst on a test flight, crashed and exploded in flames during takeoff. Both pilots survived the incident with minor injuries.
*On May 30, 2015,
''Solar Impulse 2'', en route from
Nanjing Lukou International Airport in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
to
Kalaeloa Airport in
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
, made an emergency landing after diverting due to weather; it continued to Hawaii on 28 June.
Tenant squadrons
*
Japan Air Self-Defense Force
**
401st Tactical Airlift Squadron (
Lockheed C-130H/KC-130H)
**
404th Tactical Airlift Tanker Squadron (
Boeing KC-767J)(2009-)
Airlines and destinations
Buses
Stage Carriage Coach
Airport Terminal Bus stop
Toyoyamachō Shakaikyōiku Center Bus stop
See also
*
Kawasaki Ki-61
References
* Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. .
* Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. .
External links
Nagoya Airport Terminal Building
{{authority control
Airports in Japan
Transport in Nagoya
Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Occupied Japan
Japan Air Self-Defense Force bases
Science and technology in Japan
Buildings and structures in Aichi Prefecture
Airports established in 1944
Military facilities in Aichi Prefecture
1944 establishments in Japan
Toyoyama, Aichi