Naha Airport

Naha Airport 那覇空港 Naha Kūkō
IATA: OKA ICAO: ROAH
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
Serves	Naha, Okinawa, Japan
Elevation AMSL	12 ft / 4 m
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 18/36 3,000 9,843 Asphalt
Source: DAFIF

For the airport in Naha, North Sulawesi, Indonesia (NAH/WAMH), see Naha Airport (Indonesia).

Naha Airport (那覇空港, Naha Kūkō) (IATA: OKA, ICAO: ROAH) is a second class airport located in the city of Naha, Okinawa.

The primary air terminal for passengers and freight traveling to and from Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, the airport handles international traffic to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, and China. Japan's fifth largest airport, it also carries domestic flights to Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) and many other cities on Japan's four main islands. Naha is also a hub for service to other locations in Okinawa, including Ishigaki Airport. In all, flights connect Naha to more than 30 destinations. Its single 3000 m runway handles in excess of 150 flights daily. The governor has expressed his interest to build a second runway to accommodate flights, to be operational by 2015.^[1]

The basic and detailed design engineering works in addition to the later construction management phase of the international passenger terminal, were awarded in part to the Japan Branch of the American design-build engineering company, The Austin Company.

The Okinawa Monorail carries passengers from Naha Airport Station to the center of Naha, and to the terminal at Shuri Station, which is closest to Shuri Castle. In addition, bus service is available to many parts of Okinawa Island. Extensive parking lots are available as well.

Naha Airport served 14,495,054 passengers in FY2006.

Airlines and destinations

Main terminal

• All Nippon Airways (Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Ishigaki, Kagoshima, Kobe, Kumamoto, Miyako, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Nagoya-Centrair, Niigata [seasonal], Osaka-Itami, Osaka-Kansai, Sendai, Takamatsu, Tokyo-Haneda, Tokyo-Narita)
• Japan Airlines (Fukuoka, Hanamaki [seasonal], Nagoya-Centrair, Osaka-Itami, Osaka-Kansai, Tokyo-Haneda)
  • Japan Transocean Air (Fukuoka, Fukushima [ends Feb 1, 2009], Ishigaki, Kitakyushu, Kobe, Kochi, Komatsu, Kumejima, Matsuyama, Miyako, Okayama, Osaka-Kansai, Tokyo-Haneda)
    • Ryukyu Air Commuter (Aguni, Amamioshima, Kitadaito, Kumejima, Minamidaito, Miyako [seasonal], Yonaguni, Yoron)
• Skymark Airlines (Fukuoka[bigins Mar 7,2009], Kobe [seasonal], Tokyo-Haneda)

International terminal

• Asiana Airlines (Seoul-Incheon)
• China Airlines (Taipei-Taiwan Taoyuan)
• China Eastern Airlines (Shanghai-Pudong)
• Hong Kong Express Airways (Hong Kong)

Military and public-safety units

Naha Airport hosts Naha Air Base. Naha Airfield was a wartime Imperial Japanese facility until it was seized by the Americans during the Battle of Okinawa on April 1, 1945. After the war, it became a major United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces installation known as Naha Air Base. Major USAF units assigned to Naha were:

• Headquarters, 301st Fighter Wing, 12 May 1947-20 Jan 1949
• 51st Fighter Group, 22 May 1947-22 Sep 1950

4th Fighter (All-Weather) Squadron, 19 Aug 1948-16 Feb 1953 (P-61 Black Widow, F-82 Twin Mustang)

16th Fighter Squadron, 22 May 1947-22 Sep 1950 (F-80 Shooting Star)

25th Fighter Squadron, 22 May 1947-22 Sep 1950 (F-80 Shooting Star)

26th Fighter Squadron, 22 May 1947-22 Sep 1950 (F-80 Shooting Star)

• 6351st Air Base Wing, 22 Sep 1950-1 Aug 1954

4th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 25 Feb-1 Aug 1954 (F-94 Starfire)

• 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, 1 Aug 1954-31 May 1971

16th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 1 Aug 1954-31 May 1971, (F-86 Sabre, F-102 Delta Dagger)

25th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 1 Aug 1954-8 Jun 1960, (F-86 Sabre)

26th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 1 Aug 1954-11 Jul 1955, (F-86 Sabre)

• 21st Troop Carrier (Tactical Airlift) Squadron 15 Nov 1958-31 May 1971, (C-119 Flying Boxcar, C-130 Hercules)

Assigned to: 438th Troop Carrier Wing (1958-1960); 315th Air Division (1960 - 1966); 74th Tactical Airlift Wing (1966 - 1971) (all in detached status)

• 35th Troop Carrier Squadron (315th Air Division) (Detached), 8 Jan 1963-8 Aug 1966, (C-130 Hercules)
• 817th Troop Carrier Squadron (315th Air Division) (Detached), 25 Jun 1960-8 Aug 1966, (C-130 Hercules)

The USAF ended its use of Naha AB on 31 May 1971 and it was officially transferred to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force in 1979. Naha AB currently hosts JASDF units flying modified F-4EJ Phantom II fighter aircraft, Kawasaki T-4 trainers, UH-60J Black Hawk and CH-47J Chinook helicopters. Units of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force are also based at Naha, flying the P-3 Orion patrol aircraft. The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, Okinawa Prefectural Police, and the Japan Coast Guard also utilize facilities at Naha Airport.

Incidents

China Airlines Flight 120

• On 1994, December 11, Ramzi Yousef planted a bomb on Philippine Airlines Flight 434, with the intent of mass murder. The bomb exploded on the Boeing 747-283B en route from Cebu to Tokyo, killing one passenger. The plane made an emergency landing at Naha Airport safely.
• On January 31, 2001: Japan Airlines Flight 907, bound for Naha from Tokyo International Airport, nearly collided with another Japan Airlines aircraft. The Boeing 747 for Flight 907 suddenly dived and avoided a DC-10. See 2001 Japan Airlines mid-air incident
• On 2007, August 20, Boeing 737-800 operating China Airlines Flight 120 had an engine explode shortly after landing at Naha Airport, resulting in a fire that gutted the aircraft. All passengers and crew members were evacuated safely.

See also

• USAAF in Okinawa

External links

• Airport website Template:Ja icon
• Airports of Okinawa
• Naha Airport Guide from Japan Airlines
• openNav: OKA / ROAH charts
• Current weather for ROAH at NOAA/NWS
• Accident history for OKA at Aviation Safety Network