Japan opens third major airport

[FG Lurker]

[Mike Oxlong]

Centrair Airport, Japan
Japan's newest airport - open 17th February 2005

Centrair Airport opened on February 17, 2005 emerging as a gateway to the sky for Central Japan...more

Funny, on the map provided, the location of the new airport is shown precisely where the old on stands...it should be to the south, next to Tokoname City, on the Chita Peninsula.

[Captain Japan]

Around JAPAN/ OKAYAMA: Costly runways sitting idle as business fails to take off
Asahi

Local airports are suffering financially due to a severe lack of international flights.

A 34.3-billion-yen runway at Okayama Airport has turned into a financial fiasco because it is so rarely used.

The 3,000-meter runway was constructed by the Okayama prefectural government in 2001 and intended for big planes on long-distance international flights.

But for the past three years at the airport, the number of regular long-distance international flights has been zero.

Only six flights for passenger planes and 24 flights for cargo flights have used the runway. Those were all chartered flights.

Due to the low use of the runway, in addition to the low fees introduced to attract international flights, the prefectural government has only obtained about 15 million yen in landing fees, all from the chartered flights.

Other local airports are facing similar financial difficulties due to these exorbitant long-distance runways. The problem was caused by planners' flights of fancy, experts say.

``There are many cases in which local governments have expanded airport facilities excessively without making detailed cost-benefits analyses,'' says Makoto Nakajima, a professor at the University of Tokushima who focuses on local economies. ``The expansions were based on an (overly optimistic) idea that the number of overseas travelers would continue to increase in the future.''...more...

[FG Lurker]

Around JAPAN/ OKAYAMA: Costly runways sitting idle as business fails to take off
Asahi

Hehe, I was just going to post this but found it here.

Also interesting is this part:

Okayama Airport, which is located in Okayama city's Nichioji district, constructed the long runway in October 2001 by extending a 2,500-meter runway. By doing so, it aimed to become the "major international airport" across the Chugoku and Shikoku regions.

The total cost for the extension was 34.3 billion yen, of which 32.9 billion yen was shouldered by the Okayama prefectural government.

So it cost 34.9 BILLION yen for a 500m extension! That's almost 70 million yen per metre. What the FUCK!?!? Is it paved in gold or something? Maybe platinum? Even for gov't beurocrats this is an amazing waste of money.

There are no words in English that adequately express such extreme levels of stupidity.

[GuyJean]

There are no words in English that adequately express such extreme levels of stupidity.

Is this the reason Koizumi wants "mottainai" Englified? We need the word in order to understand the 'uniquely' way of Japanese waste.. ]http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10797[/url]

GJ

[Buraku]

[dimwit]

I assume that the fact that an international airport was built in Okayama has nothing to do with the fact corrupt former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto constituency is located there.

[Taro Toporific]

I assume that the fact that an international airport was built in Okayama has nothing to do with the fact corrupt former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto constituency is located there.

Hey, I looooove the Okayama International Airport---I can drive the 660cc rice pickup truck to the luggage check-in counter since sometimes I am the only customer in the departure lobby.


[INDENT][INDENT][[SIZE="3"]Airport surplus crowds Japan's skies[/SIZE]
MENAFN Saturday, April 15, 2006 9:12:43 AM EST
TOKYO, (UPI) -- Japan's airport count is at 97 with more in the works, while airlines wait to land and take off because the skies are too crowded.
The new Kobe airport opened two months ago but because it is the third in a 25-mile radius, planes are forced to circle until there is room to land.
The New York Times reports the problem began during the economic boom of the 1980s when airport projects in even the smaller cities was a coup for government officials.
But air travel remains expensive and the airport market is so saturated in Japan that even Narita Airport in Tokyo has dropped to the fourth busiest airport in Asia.
Even though there is a freeze on new airports, experts don't think that will mean pet projects won't stop winning state funds.
Anthony Concil, spokesman for the International Air Transport Association, said "local politics is hijacking good sense."
[/INDENT][/INDENT]

[IkemenTommy]

Hey, I looooove the Okayama International Airport---I can drive the 660cc rice pickup truck to the luggage check-in counter since sometimes I am the only customer in the departure lobby.


[INDENT][INDENT][[SIZE="3"]Airport surplus crowds Japan's skies[/SIZE]
MENAFN Saturday, April 15, 2006 9:12:43 AM EST
TOKYO, (UPI) -- Japan's airport count is at 97 with more in the works, while airlines wait to land and take off because the skies are too crowded.
The new Kobe airport opened two months ago but because it is the third in a 25-mile radius, planes are forced to circle until there is room to land.
The New York Times reports the problem began during the economic boom of the 1980s when airport projects in even the smaller cities was a coup for government officials.
But air travel remains expensive and the airport market is so saturated in Japan that even Narita Airport in Tokyo has dropped to the fourth busiest airport in Asia.
Even though there is a freeze on new airports, experts don't think that will mean pet projects won't stop winning state funds.
Anthony Concil, spokesman for the International Air Transport Association, said "local politics is hijacking good sense."
[/INDENT][/INDENT]

Okayama had an international airport?:suspect:

[Buraku]

Chicom route opening up ?



First 737-700ER Heads For Japan's All Nippon Airways
http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?ContentBlockID=01c32fb4-322d-486d-a09d-ef7917e7ba5b
With the airplane, ANA will open its fifth international route from Nagoya's Centrair Airport to Guangzhou, China, providing service on a daily basis.