Haneda Airport

Tokyo International Airport (東京国際空港, Tōkyō Kokusai Kūkō^?), commonly known as Haneda Airport (羽田空港, Haneda Kūkō^?) (IATA: HND, ICAO: RJTT), is one of the two primary airports that serve the Greater Tokyo Area in Japan. It is located in Ōta, Tokyo, 14 km (8.7 mi) south of Tokyo Station.

Haneda handles almost all domestic flights to and from Tokyo, while Narita International Airport handles the vast majority of international flights. In 2010, a dedicated international terminal was opened at Haneda in conjunction with the completion of a fourth runway. This allowed for a dramatic increase in international flights going to Haneda, which previously had only "scheduled charter" flights to Seoul, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei. The Japanese government plans to further expand Haneda's international role in the future.^[2]

Haneda handled 64,211,074 passengers in 2010. By passenger throughput, it was the second busiest airport in Asia and the fifth busiest in the world, after Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, Beijing Capital Airport, Chicago O'Hare Airport, and London Heathrow Airport. With Haneda and Narita combined Tokyo has the third busiest city airport system in the world, after London and New York City.

Haneda is the primary base of Japan's two major domestic airlines, Japan Airlines (Terminal 1) and All Nippon Airways (Terminal 2), as well as low-cost carriers Hokkaido International Airlines, Skymark Airlines, Skynet Asia Airways, and StarFlyer. It is able to handle 90 million passengers per year following its expansion in 2010.

In December 2009, ForbesTraveller.com recognized Haneda Airport as the most punctual airport in the world for two years in a row, with 94.3% of its flights departing on time and 88.6% arriving on time.^[3]

History

Haneda Airfield (羽田飛行場, Haneda Hikōjō^?) first opened in 1931 on a small piece of bayfront land at the south end of today's airport complex. It was Japan's largest civil airport at the time it was constructed, and took over from the army air base at Tachikawa as the main operating base of Japan Air Transport, then the country's flag carrier. During the 1930s, Haneda handled flights to destinations in Japan, Korea and Manchuria. In 1939, the airport's first runway was extended to 800 m and a second 800-m runway was completed.^[4]

U.S. occupation (1945–1952)

In 1945, U.S. occupation forces took over the airport and renamed it Haneda Army Air Base. The Army evicted many nearby residents to make room for various construction projects, including extending one runway to 1,650m and the other to 2,100m. US military personnel based at Haneda were generally housed at the Washington Heights residential complex in central Tokyo (now Yoyogi Park).

During the Korean War, Haneda was the main regional base for United States Navy flight nurses, who evacuated patients from Korea to Haneda for treatment at military hospitals in Tokyo and Yokosuka.^[5]

Haneda Air Force Base received its first international passenger flights in 1947 when Northwest Orient Airlines began scheduled service to the United States, China, South Korea, and the Philippines.

The U.S. military gave part of the base back to Japan in 1952; this portion became known as Tokyo International Airport. The US military maintained a base at Haneda until 1958 when the remainder of the property was returned to the Japanese government.

International era (1952–1978)

Japan's flag carrier Japan Airlines began its first domestic operations from Haneda in 1951.

During its first years of postwar civil operations, Tokyo International Airport did not have a passenger terminal building. The Japan Airport Terminal Co., Ltd. TYO: 9706 was founded in 1953 in order to develop the airport's first passenger terminal, which opened in 1955. An extension for international flights opened in 1963.^[6]

European carriers began service to Haneda in the 1950s, with BOAC operating de Havilland Comet flights to London via the southern route in 1952, and SAS operating DC-7 flights to Copenhagen via Anchorage beginning in 1957. JAL and Aeroflot began cooperative service from Haneda to Moscow in 1967. Both Pan Am and Northwest Orient used Haneda as an Asian regional hub.

The Tokyo Monorail began service between Haneda and central Tokyo in 1964, in time for the Tokyo Olympics. During 1964, Japan also lifted travel restrictions on its citizens, causing passenger traffic at the airport to swell. A new runway and international terminal was completed in 1970, but demand continued to outpace expansion.^[6]

The government anticipated this growth in the early 1960s. The government believed that further expansion of Haneda would be impractical due to the cost and technical issues inherent in a large-scale landfill project in Tokyo Bay. Instead, a plan was put forward to build a new airport to handle Tokyo's international flights. In 1978, New Tokyo International Airport (now Narita Airport) opened, taking over almost all international service in the Greater Tokyo Area, and Haneda became a domestic airport.

Domestic era (1978–2010)

While most international flights moved from Haneda to Narita in 1978, airlines based on Republic of China continued to use Haneda Airport for many years due to the ongoing political conflict between the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China. China Airlines served Taipei and Honolulu from Haneda; Taiwan's second major airline, EVA Air, joined CAL at Haneda in 1989. All Taiwan flights were moved to Narita in 2002, and Haneda-Honolulu services ceased. In 2003, JAL, ANA, Korean Air and Asiana began service to Gimpo Airport near Seoul, providing a "scheduled charter" city-to-city service.

Despite the Transport Ministry's initial reservations about expanding Haneda Airport onto new landfill in Tokyo Bay, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government began using the adjacent bay area as a waste dumping site, thus creating a large amount of landfill upon which the airport could expand. In July 1988, a new runway opened on the landfill area. In September 1993, the old airport terminal was replaced by a new West Passenger Terminal, nicknamed "Big Bird," which was built farther out on the landfill. Two new runways were completed in March 1997 and March 2000. In 2004, Terminal 2 opened at Haneda for ANA and Air Do; the 1993 terminal, now known as Terminal 1, became the base for JAL, Skymark and Skynet Asia Airways.^[7]

In October 2006, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao reached an informal agreement to launch bilateral talks regarding an additional city-to-city service between Haneda and Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport.^[8] On 25 June 2007, the two governments concluded an agreement allowing for the Haneda-Hongqiao service to commence from October 2007.^[9]

In December 2007, Japan and the People's Republic of China reached a basic agreement on opening charter services between Haneda and Beijing Nanyuan Airport. However, because of difficulties in negotiating with the Chinese military operators of Nanyuan, the first charter flights in August 2008 (coinciding with the 2008 Summer Olympics) used Beijing Capital International Airport instead, as did subsequent scheduled charters to Beijing.^[10]

In June 2007 Haneda gained the right to host international flights that depart between 8:30 PM and 11:00 PM and arrive between 6 AM and 8:30 AM. The airport allows departures and arrivals between 11 PM and 6 AM, as Narita Airport is closed during these hours.^[11][12]

Macquarie Bank and Macquarie Airports owned a 19.9% stake in Japan Airport Terminal until 2009, when they sold their stake back to the company.^[13]

New international terminal

A third terminal for international flights was completed in October 2010. The cost to construct the five-story terminal building and attached 2,300-car parking deck was covered by a Private Finance Initiative process, revenues from duty-free concessions and a facility use charge of ¥2,000 per passenger. Both the Tokyo Monorail and the Keikyū Airport Line added stops at the new terminal, and an international air cargo facility was constructed nearby.^[14][15]

The fourth runway, which is called D Runway,^[16] was constructed to the south of the existing airfield, and was completed in 2010. This runway was designed to increase Haneda's operational capacity from 285,000 movements to 407,000 movements per year, permitting increased frequencies on existing routes, as well as routes to new destinations.^[14] In particular, Haneda would offer additional slots to handle 60,000 overseas flights a year (30,000 during the day and 30,000 during late night and early morning hours).^[17][18]

In May 2008, the Japanese Ministry of Transport announced that international flights would be allowed between Haneda and any overseas destination, provided that such flights must operate between 11 PM and 7 AM.^[17] The Ministry of Transport originally planned to allocate a number of the newly available landing slots to international flights of 1,947 km (1,210 mi) or less (the distance to Ishigaki, the longest domestic flight operating from Haneda).^[14] The destinations within this range include all of Korea, parts of eastern and northern China including Shanghai, Qingdao, Dalian, Harbin,and Beijing, and parts of the Russian Far East including Vladivostok and Sakhalin.^[19][20]

Japan Airlines and V Australia announced interest in operating nonstop service to Sydney.^[21]

Haneda Airport's new international terminal has received numerous complaints from passengers using it during night hours. One of the complaints is the lack of amenities available in the building as most restaurants and shops are closed at night. Another complaint is that there is no affordable public transportation at night operating out of the terminals. The Keikyu Airport Line, Tokyo Monorail and most bus operators stop running services out of Haneda by midnight, and so passengers landing at night are forced to go by car or taxi to their destination. A Haneda spokesperson said that they would work with transportation operators and the government to improve the situation.^[22]

Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, several foreign airlines halted international service to Haneda. Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, the only two North American airlines operating at the airport, both halted all services, prompting United Airlines to request a re-examination of their rights to serve Haneda.^[23]

Future expansion plans

In June 2011, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced an expansion of the new international terminal, to be completed by the end of March 2014. The expansion will include a new 8-gate pier to the northwest of the existing terminal, an expansion of the adjacent apron with four new aircraft parking spots, a hotel inside the international terminal, and expanded check-in, customs/immigration/quarantine and baggage claim areas.^[24]

Incidents and accidents

• February 6, 1966: All Nippon Airways Flight 60 was a Boeing 727-81 aircraft crashed into Tokyo Bay about 10.4 km from Haneda Airport in clear weather conditions while on a night approach. All 133 passengers and crew were killed when the aircraft crashed. The accident held the death toll record for a single-plane incident until 1969.
• March 4, 1966: Canadian Pacific Airlines Flight 402, a Douglas DC-8-43 registered CF-CPK, descended below the glide path and struck the approach lights and a seawall during a night landing attempt in poor visibility at Tokyo International Airport in Japan. The flight had departed Hong Kong Kai Tak Airport and had almost diverted to Taipei due to the poor weather in Tokyo. Of the 62 passengers and 10 crew, only 8 passengers survived.
• March 5, 1966: BOAC Flight 911, aka Speedbird 911, a Boeing 707–436 registered G-APFE, broke-up in flight en-route from Haneda Airport to Hong Kong Kai Tak Airport, on a segment of an around-the-world flight. The bad weather that had caused the Canadian Pacific crash the day before also caused exceptionally strong winds around Mt. Fuji, and the BOAC jet encountered severe turbulence that caused the aircraft to break apart at an altitude of 16,000 feet, killing all 113 passengers and 11 crew. The debris field was over 10 miles long. Although there was not a cockpit voice recorder on this aircraft or any distress calls made by the crew, the investigators did find an 8mm film shot by one of the passengers that, when developed, confirmed the accident was consistent with an in-flight breakup and loss of control due to severe turbulence. There is a famous photo of this ill-fated airliner passing the still smouldering wreckage of Canadian Pacific Flight 402 as it taxied out to the runway at Haneda.
• August 12, 1985: Japan Airlines Flight 123, a Boeing 747-SR46 suffered a massive decompression when the rear bulkhead was blown out, severing all hydraulic lines and a portion of the tail. With all control surfaces so rendered useless, the flight crew managed for a time to maneuver the aircraft with the thrust levers in an attempt to return to Haneda. Flight 123 crashed into a ridge some miles short of Tokyo International. Of 524 souls aboard, there were 520 fatalities. The crash of JA123 remains the deadliest incident for a single aircraft.
• July 23, 1999: All Nippon Airways Flight 61 was hijacked shortly after takeoff. The hijacker killed the captain before he was subdued; the aircraft landed safely.

Terminals

Haneda Airport has three terminals. The main terminals, 1 and 2, are connected by an underground walkway; a free shuttle bus runs between the main terminals and the smaller International Terminal every five minutes.

Haneda Airport is open 24 hours. The two main passenger terminals are only open from 5 AM to 11:30 PM. The terminals may be extended to 24-hour operation due to StarFlyer's late-night and early-morning service between Haneda and Kitakyushu, which began in March 2006.

All three terminals are managed by Japan Airport Terminal Co., Ltd. (日本空港ビルディング株式会社, Nippon Kūkō Birudingu Kabushikigaisha^?), a private company. The rest of the airport is managed by the government. It has 46 jetways altogether.

Terminal 1

Terminal 1 called "Big Bird" opened in 1993. This largest terminal in Haneda Airport replacing the smaller 1970 terminal complex. The linear building features a six-story restaurant, shopping area and conference rooms in its center section and a large rooftop observation deck with open-air rooftop cafe.

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 opened on December 1, 2004. It features an open-air rooftop restaurant, a six-story shopping area with restaurants and the 387-room Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyu.

The construction of Terminal 2 was financed by levying a ¥100 passenger service facility charge on tickets, the first domestic Passenger Service Facilities Charge (PSFC) in Japan.

International terminal

The current international terminal opened on October 21, 2010. The first two long-haul flights from the new terminal departed before midnight on October 30, 2010; they were originally scheduled to depart after midnight on October 31, but both departed ahead of schedule.^[25]

Cargo facilities

Haneda is the third-largest air cargo hub in Japan after Narita and Kansai. The airport property is adjacent to the Tokyo Freight Terminal, the main rail freight yard serving central Tokyo.

Scheduled cargo routes from Haneda include:

Other facilities

Haneda Airport has a special VIP terminal and two parking spots for private aircraft. This area is often used by foreign heads of state visiting Japan, as well as by the Japanese Air Force One and other aircraft carrying government officials. (Narita is also regularly used for such flights despite its much greater distance from central Tokyo.) The Tokyo Metropolitan Police have historically conducted heightened security measures, including ID checks of visibly foreign passengers, during times when the airport is being used for state visits.^[26] Japan Airlines operates training facilities and the Safety Promotion Center at the periphery of the airport.

The Japan Coast Guard has a base at Haneda which is used by Special Rescue Team.

Airlines and destinations

Statistics

Ground transportation

Rail

Haneda Airport is served by the Keihin Kyuko Railway (Keikyū) and Tokyo Monorail. The monorail has two dedicated stations (Haneda Airport Terminal 1 Station and Haneda Airport Terminal 2 Station), Keikyū operates a single station between the domestic terminals (Haneda Airport Station), and both lines stop at the International Terminal Station.

Keikyū offers trains to Shinagawa Station and Yokohama Station and through service to the Toei Asakusa Line, which makes several stops in eastern Tokyo. Some Keikyū trains also run through to the Keisei Oshiage Line and Keisei Main Line, making it possible to reach Narita International Airport by train. Although a few direct trains run in the morning, a transfer along the Keisei Line is generally necessary to reach Narita.

Tokyo Monorail trains run between the airport and Hamamatsuchō Station, where passengers can connect to the Yamanote Line to reach other points in Tokyo, or Keihin Tohoku Line to Saitama, and have a second access option to Narita Airport via Narita Express, Airport Narita, or Sōbu Line (Rapid) Trains at Tokyo Station. Express trains make the nonstop run from Haneda Airport to Hamamatsuchō in 16 minutes. Hamamatsuchō Station is also located adjacent to the Toei Oedo Line Daimon station.

Road

The airport is bisected by the Bayshore Route of the Shuto Expressway and is also accessible from Route 1. Scheduled bus service to various points in the Kanto region is provided by Airport Transport Service (Friendly Airport Limousine) and Keihin Express Bus.

See also

• Narita International Airport
• Tokyo Monorail

References

External links

• Tokyo International Airport Homepage (English)
• Haneda Airport Information Page (English)
• Haneda Airport Access Guide (English)
• Haneda Airport Service Homepage 羽田空港サービス株式会社 (Japanese)
• openNav: HND / RJTT charts
• Information about Tokyo International Airport
• Tokyo International Air Terminal Corporation