Air America operated interisland flights to
Miyako and
Ishigaki from 1964 to 1967, when Southwest Airlines (now
Japan Transocean Air) took over these routes. Okinawa was returned to Japan in 1972. In 1982, Naha Airport was transferred from US military control to the
Japan Air Self-Defense Force. The basic and detailed design engineering works in addition to the later construction management phase of the main passenger terminal were awarded in the 1990s in part to the Japan Branch of the American design-build engineering company,
The Austin Company, which joined Japanese firms in a joint venture design consortium.
Development
The airport has been undergoing major development projects that will continue to transform the airport. In 2008, the government agreed to significantly expand the domestic terminal, which will require the relocation of cargo facilities and the international terminal.
The construction of a second 2,700 m (8,900 ft) parallel runway began on March 1, 2014 (opening March 26, 2020), on 160 hectares (400 acres) of reclaimed land.[1]
The new international terminal opened in February 2014. The international terminal is again being expanded and will grow by 3,000 m2 (32,000 sq ft) in November 2016. [needs update]A new building connecting the domestic and international terminals is due to be completed in 2020 along with the second runway.[4]
A
LCCT terminal has been in operation since 2012. In addition, a 6-lane under bay tunnel for auto transport linking the airport with the Naha Port boosting the utility of the intermodal facility was completed in 2011. This tunnel will also link a 2.6-hectare (6.4-acre)
Free Trade Zone near the Airport with another 122-hectare (300-acre) FTZ located at
Nakagusuku Bay.
Peach, a
low-cost carrier (LCC) based at
Kansai International Airport in Osaka, announced that it would establish its second hub at Naha in July 2014, which would initially have flights to
Osaka,
Fukuoka, Ishigaki and Taipei.[5]ANA Holdings, the parent company of both Peach and
Vanilla Air, opened a new LCC terminal in a refurbished portion of the airport's cargo area in October 2012, and plans to open new international facilities in October 2014.[6]
Terminals
Domestic Terminal (1999) - replaced former domestic terminal, extended to include LCCT, other extensions works to conclude in 2016.
Cargo Terminal (2009) - Former domestic terminal became the cargo terminal
LCCT Terminal (2012) - north annex of domestic terminal (Peach Domestic & International only).
New International Terminal (2014) - replaced old international terminal
All Nippon Airways operates an overnight cargo hub at Naha Airport, which receives inbound
Boeing 767 freighter flights from key destinations in Japan, China and Southeast Asia between 1 and 4 a.m., followed by return flights between 4 and 6 a.m., allowing overnight service between these regional hubs as well as onward connections to other ANA and partner carrier flights.[22][needs update]
On December 11, 1994,
Armaldo Forlani (Ramzi Yousef) planted a bomb on
Philippine Airlines Flight 434, which exploded while the flight was en route from
Cebu to
Tokyo, killing one passenger and injuring ten other passengers. The plane made an emergency landing at Naha Airport safely.
On August 20, 2007,
China Airlines Flight 120, a
Boeing 737-800, was taxiing to the ramp after landing when suddenly a fire started beneath the right wing, quickly engulfing the entire plane. All passengers and crew members were evacuated safely. Investigations later revealed that part of the
slat drive mechanism pierced the fuel tank, and the leaking fuel ignited when it came into contact with hot engine parts.
On June 3, 2015, an
All Nippon AirwaysBoeing 737 bound for
Sapporo aborted takeoff at Naha after a
JASDFCH-47 Chinook helicopter crossed its departure path without clearance. An inbound
Japan Transocean Air flight landed on the same runway, stopping 400 meters behind the ANA aircraft, despite an air traffic control order to go around, which the JTA pilot claimed to have received after landing.[26]
On December 4, 2020, Japan Airlines Flight 904, operated by a Boeing 777-200 from
Okinawa Naha airport to
Tokyo Haneda suffered a fan blade failure in one of its two PW4084 engines. None of the 189 occupants on board were injured in the incident.[27]
^Yoshikawa, Tadayuki (21 January 2014).
ピーチ、那覇-福岡線開設 7月に第2ハブ稼働. Aviation Wire.
Archived from the original on 25 January 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.