Chubu Centrair International Airport
Encyclopedia
is an airport on an artificial island
in Ise Bay
, Tokoname City
in Aichi Prefecture
, 35 km (21.7 mi) south of Nagoya in central Japan
.
Centrair is classified as a first class airport and is the main international gateway for the Chūbu
("central") region of Japan. The name is an abbreviation of Central Japan International Airport, an alternate translation used in the English name of the airport's operating company, .
Some 11,721,673 people used the airport in the 2006, ranking 8th busiest in the nation. 273,874 tons of cargo was moved in 2005.
For the fiscal year ending in March 2009, the above figures have dropped considerably to 10.8 million passengers. Combined international and domestic cargo figures totaled just 162,000 tons for the same year, a dramatic drop that can be largely blamed on the substantially weakened manufacturing economy since the fall of 2008 in the Aichi region.
and Kansai International Airport
, and is also the second airport built in Japan on a manmade island. There are currently 5 offshore airports in Japan, including Kobe Airport
and Kitakyushu Airport
.
With much lobbying by local business groups such as Toyota, especially for 24 hour cargo flights, construction started August 2000, with a budget of JPY¥
768 billion (€
5.5 billion, US$
7.3 billion), but through efficient management nearly ¥100 billion was saved. PentaOcean
Construction was a major contractor.
In addition to cost cutting measures, a number of environmental protection measures had been taken after learning from Kansai International Airport. The artificial island itself was shaped like the rounded letter "D" so that sea currents inside the bay will flow freely. Its shores were partially constructed with natural rocks and sloped to aid sea lifeforms to set up colonies. During the construction a species of Little Tern
occasionally came, so a part of it was selected and set aside to aid nesting.
When the airport opened on February 17, 2005, it took over almost all of the existing Nagoya Airport (now Nagoya Airfield)'s commercial flights, and relieved Tokyo and Kansai areas of cargo shipments. As a replacement for Nagoya Airport, it also inherited its IATA airport code NGO. The airport's opening anticipated the Expo 2005
in Aichi Prefecture. The airport is speculated to have some competition with Shizuoka Airport
, which opened on June 4, 2009.
Japan Airlines
(JAL) was the first airline to land an aircraft at Centrair: A Boeing 767
-300ER, carrying around 206 passengers on board a charter flight from Saipan
to commemorate the opening of Centrair.
expansion in 7 locations starting in 2006, scheduled to be done in 2010. A second 4000 m (13,123.4 ft) runway is planned, adding an extra 3 km² (1.2 sq mi) of area, 300 m (984.3 ft) from the existing runway. This project is scheduled to be funded in 2008, costing ¥2 trillion.
There is considerable debate about the need for a second runway given reductions in both passenger numbers and aircraft movements in the last two years.
is shaped like a "T," with three piers radiating from a central ticketing area. This design keeps check-in distances below 300 m (984.3 ft). Originally, designers planned to make the main terminal resemble an origami
crane
from above, but this plan was abandoned due to cost.
The northern side of the terminal holds domestic flights, while the southern side holds international flights, each with dedicated ticket counters, security checkpoints and baggage carousels, and for international flights, immigration and customs facilities.
Arrivals are processed on the second floor, and departures on the third. The lower level is used for maintenance, catering, and other ground operations, as well as for passenger buses to hardstands in the middle of the airport ramp.
, the train station for Centrair is located on the Meitetsu Airport Line
operated by Nagoya Railroad
(Meitetsu). The fastest "μSky Limited Express" service connects the airport to Meitetsu-Nagoya Station in 28 minutes. Meitetsu Nagoya is adjacent to JR
Nagoya Station
, allowing transfers to Shinkansen high-speed trains bound for Kyoto
and Shizuoka
, as well as JR, Meitetsu, and Kintetsu
local trains, and the Nagoya Municipal Subway
.
- a 40-minute trip. Another ferry links Matsusaka
to Tokoname
, taking 45 minutes.
There is a duty-free
area in the international departure area on the 3rd floor as well.
Artificial island
An artificial island or man-made island is an island or archipelago that has been constructed by people rather than formed by natural means...
in Ise Bay
Ise Bay
Ise Bay is a bay located at the mouth of the Kiso River between Mie and Aichi Prefectures in Japan. Ise Bay has an average depth of 19.5 metres and a maximum depth of 30 metres toward the centre. The mouth of the bay is 9 kilometres wide and is connected to the smaller Mikawa Bay by two channels:...
, Tokoname City
Tokoname, Aichi
is a city located in Aichi, Japan.As of 2006, the city has an estimated population of 52,301 and the density of 1,023.56 persons per km². The total area is 48.59 km².The city was founded on April 1, 1954....
in Aichi Prefecture
Aichi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area.- History :...
, 35 km (21.7 mi) south of Nagoya in central Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Centrair is classified as a first class airport and is the main international gateway for the Chūbu
Chubu region
The is the central region of Honshū, Japan's main island. Chūbu has a population estimate of 21,886,324 as of 2008.Chūbu, which means "central region", encompasses nine prefectures : Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, Yamanashi, and often Mie.It is located directly...
("central") region of Japan. The name is an abbreviation of Central Japan International Airport, an alternate translation used in the English name of the airport's operating company, .
Some 11,721,673 people used the airport in the 2006, ranking 8th busiest in the nation. 273,874 tons of cargo was moved in 2005.
For the fiscal year ending in March 2009, the above figures have dropped considerably to 10.8 million passengers. Combined international and domestic cargo figures totaled just 162,000 tons for the same year, a dramatic drop that can be largely blamed on the substantially weakened manufacturing economy since the fall of 2008 in the Aichi region.
History
Chūbu is Japan's third off-shore airport, after Nagasaki AirportNagasaki Airport
is an international airport located west of the railway station in the city of Ōmura and north northeast of the Nagasaki railway station in the city of Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan...
and Kansai International Airport
Kansai International Airport
is an international airport located on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay, southwest of Ōsaka Station, located within three municipalities, including Izumisano , Sennan , and Tajiri , in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The airport is off the Honshu shore. The airport serves as an...
, and is also the second airport built in Japan on a manmade island. There are currently 5 offshore airports in Japan, including Kobe Airport
Kobe Airport
is an airport on an artificial island just off the coast of Kobe, south of Sannomiya Station Japan. It primarily handles domestic flights, but can also accommodate international charter flights. In the first year of operation the airport handled 2,697,000 passengers with an average load factor of...
and Kitakyushu Airport
Kitakyushu Airport
Kokura Airport , previously called until 2005, was a small airport in Kokura Minami-ku, Kitakyūshū, Japan. There used to be four flights to and from Tokyo International Airport every day. The runway was long, so large jets could not use it...
.
With much lobbying by local business groups such as Toyota, especially for 24 hour cargo flights, construction started August 2000, with a budget of JPY¥
Japanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
768 billion (€
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
5.5 billion, US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
7.3 billion), but through efficient management nearly ¥100 billion was saved. PentaOcean
PentaOcean
is a major Japanese construction firm. It specializes in marine works and land reclamation. It is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Osaka Stock Exchange, and Nagoya Stock Exchange as ticker 1893.It originated from Mizuno Gumi in 1896 in Hiroshima Prefecture, and later renamed to the current...
Construction was a major contractor.
In addition to cost cutting measures, a number of environmental protection measures had been taken after learning from Kansai International Airport. The artificial island itself was shaped like the rounded letter "D" so that sea currents inside the bay will flow freely. Its shores were partially constructed with natural rocks and sloped to aid sea lifeforms to set up colonies. During the construction a species of Little Tern
Little Tern
The Little Tern, Sternula albifrons or Sterna albifrons, is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. It was formerly placed into the genus Sterna, which now is restricted to the large white terns . The former North American and Red Sea S. a...
occasionally came, so a part of it was selected and set aside to aid nesting.
When the airport opened on February 17, 2005, it took over almost all of the existing Nagoya Airport (now Nagoya Airfield)'s commercial flights, and relieved Tokyo and Kansai areas of cargo shipments. As a replacement for Nagoya Airport, it also inherited its IATA airport code NGO. The airport's opening anticipated the Expo 2005
Expo 2005
Expo 2005 was the World's Fair held for 185 days between Friday, March 25 and Sunday, September 25, 2005, in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, east of the city of Nagoya. It was a Specialized International Exhibition under the scheme of the 1972 protocol of the Convention relating to International Exhibitions...
in Aichi Prefecture. The airport is speculated to have some competition with Shizuoka Airport
Shizuoka Airport
, also called Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport, is located in Shizuoka Prefecture Japan. Opened on June 4, 2009, the airport has domestic service to Sapporo, Fukuoka, Naha , Komatsu, Kumamoto, and Kagoshima. International routes connect it to Seoul and Shanghai.The airport is located in Makinohara and...
, which opened on June 4, 2009.
Japan Airlines
Japan Airlines
is an airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. It is the flag carrier of Japan and its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport , as well as Nagoya's Chūbu Centrair International Airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport...
(JAL) was the first airline to land an aircraft at Centrair: A Boeing 767
Boeing 767
The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
-300ER, carrying around 206 passengers on board a charter flight from Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
to commemorate the opening of Centrair.
Future
The airport has undertaken airport rampAirport ramp
The airport ramp or apron is part of an airport. It is usually the area where aircraft are parked, unloaded or loaded, refueled or boarded. Although the use of the apron is covered by regulations, such as lighting on vehicles, it is typically more accessible to users than the runway or taxiway...
expansion in 7 locations starting in 2006, scheduled to be done in 2010. A second 4000 m (13,123.4 ft) runway is planned, adding an extra 3 km² (1.2 sq mi) of area, 300 m (984.3 ft) from the existing runway. This project is scheduled to be funded in 2008, costing ¥2 trillion.
There is considerable debate about the need for a second runway given reductions in both passenger numbers and aircraft movements in the last two years.
Main terminal
The main terminalAirport terminal
An airport terminal is a building at an airport where passengers transfer between ground transportation and the facilities that allow them to board and disembark from aircraft....
is shaped like a "T," with three piers radiating from a central ticketing area. This design keeps check-in distances below 300 m (984.3 ft). Originally, designers planned to make the main terminal resemble an origami
Origami
is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, which started in the 17th century AD at the latest and was popularized outside Japan in the mid-1900s. It has since then evolved into a modern art form...
crane
Crane (bird)
Cranes are a family, Gruidae, of large, long-legged and long-necked birds in the order Gruiformes. There are fifteen species of crane in four genera. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back...
from above, but this plan was abandoned due to cost.
The northern side of the terminal holds domestic flights, while the southern side holds international flights, each with dedicated ticket counters, security checkpoints and baggage carousels, and for international flights, immigration and customs facilities.
Arrivals are processed on the second floor, and departures on the third. The lower level is used for maintenance, catering, and other ground operations, as well as for passenger buses to hardstands in the middle of the airport ramp.
Passenger
Scheduled cargo airlines and destinations
- AirBridgeCargo Airlines
- Air Hong KongAir Hong KongAHK Air Hong Kong Limited is the only all cargo airline based in Hong Kong, with its main hub at Hong Kong International Airport. The airline operates an express freight network to 12 destinations in nine countries, including China, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Republic of China , Singapore,...
- Asiana Cargo
- Atlas AirAtlas AirAtlas Air, Inc. is an American cargo airline based in Purchase, Harrison, New York. It operates scheduled freight flights on a wet lease basis for some of the world's leading airlines, flying to 101 cities in 46 countries. Its crew bases include: Miami International Airport, New York's John F...
/BoeingBoeingThe Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001... - DHL ExpressDHL ExpressDHL Express is a division of the German logistics company Deutsche Post providing international express mail services. DHL is a world market leader in sea and air mail....
- Kalitta AirKalitta AirKalitta Air is an American cargo airline headquartered in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, United States. It operates international scheduled and ad-hoc cargo charter services. Its main base is Willow Run Airport near Ypsilanti.-History:...
(Anchorage, Chicago-O'Hare, Newark) - Korean Air CargoKorean AirKorean Air Lines Co., Ltd. , operating as Korean Air, is both the flag carrier and the largest airline of South Korea, with global headquarters located in Seoul, South Korea. Korean Air's international passenger division and related subsidiary cargo division together serve 130 cities in 45...
- Nippon Cargo AirlinesNippon Cargo Airlines, or NCA, is a cargo airline based in the Onarimon Yusen Building in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It operates scheduled cargo services in Asia and to Europe and the North America. Its main base is Narita International Airport outside Tokyo.- History :...
- UPS AirlinesUPS AirlinesUPS Airlines is an American cargo airline owned by United Parcel Service Inc. . The company is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Its home airport is located at Louisville International Airport...
Train
Central Japan International Airport StationCentral Japan International Airport Station
is a train station located in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.The station serves Chūbu Centrair International Airport by a short walkway connecting the station concourse with the airport terminal building....
, the train station for Centrair is located on the Meitetsu Airport Line
Meitetsu Airport Line
The is a railway line in Aichi, Japan operated by Nagoya Railroad between Tokoname Station and Central Japan International Airport Station in Tokoname.- Stations :● L: ● S: ● E: ● R: ● L: ● MU:...
operated by Nagoya Railroad
Nagoya Railroad
, often abbreviated as , is a railroad company operating around Aichi Prefecture and Gifu Prefecture of Japan.Some of the more famous trains operated by Nagoya Railroad include the Panorama Car and the Panorama Car Super, both of which offer views through their wide front windows...
(Meitetsu). The fastest "μSky Limited Express" service connects the airport to Meitetsu-Nagoya Station in 28 minutes. Meitetsu Nagoya is adjacent to JR
Central Japan Railway Company
The is the main railway company operating in the Chūbu region of central Japan. It is officially abbreviated in English as JR Central and in Japanese as . Its headquarters are located in the JR Central Towers in Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture.The company's operational hub is Nagoya Station...
Nagoya Station
Nagoya Station
is a train station in Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Japan. It is one of the world's largest train stations by floor area , and houses the headquarters of the Central Japan Railway Company . Much of this space is located in the "JR Central Towers" atop the station, as well as in underground concourses. The...
, allowing transfers to Shinkansen high-speed trains bound for Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
and Shizuoka
Shizuoka, Shizuoka
is the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and the prefecture's second-largest city in terms of both population and area. It became one of Japan's 19 "designated cities" in 2005.-Geography:...
, as well as JR, Meitetsu, and Kintetsu
Kintetsu
, named Kinki Nippon Railway Co., Ltd. in English until June 27, 2003, is a Japanese rail transit corporation commonly known as . It is the largest non-JR railway in Japan. Its complex network of lines connects Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Tsu and Ise...
local trains, and the Nagoya Municipal Subway
Nagoya Municipal Subway
is the subway system that serves the Nagoya, Aichi, Japan area. Like other large Japanese cities, Greater Nagoya's subways are heavily complemented by suburban rail, forming an extensive network of 47 lines rivaling cities such as New York and London...
.
Ferry
Three high-speed ferry services link Centrair to the west side of Ise Bay. One ferry connects to the passenger terminal in TsuTsu, Mie
is the capital of Mie Prefecture, Japan. The city of Tsu is located on Ise Bay, east of the city. Tsu is bounded to the north by Suzuka and Kameyama; to the west by Iga, Nabari, and Nara Prefecture; and to the south by Matsuzaka city.-History:...
- a 40-minute trip. Another ferry links Matsusaka
Matsusaka, Mie
, sometimes called Matsuzaka, is a city located in central Mie Prefecture, on the island of Honshū, Japan. The city is famous for its beef.-Founding:...
to Tokoname
Tokoname, Aichi
is a city located in Aichi, Japan.As of 2006, the city has an estimated population of 52,301 and the density of 1,023.56 persons per km². The total area is 48.59 km².The city was founded on April 1, 1954....
, taking 45 minutes.
Shopping
Centrair features the 4th Floor Sky Town shopping center, accessible to the general public, with 61 shops and restaurants. organized into two "streets," Renga-dori and Chochin-yokocho. The Chochin-yokocho shops are individually themed to have an authentic Japanese look.There is a duty-free
Duty-free shop
Duty-free shops are retail outlets that are exempt from the payment of certain local or national taxes and duties, on the requirement that the goods sold will be sold to travelers who will take them out of the country...
area in the international departure area on the 3rd floor as well.
External links
- Japan MintJapan MintThe is an Incorporated Administrative Agency of the Japanese government. This agency has its Head office in Osaka with branches in Tokyo and Hiroshima.-History:...
: The Opening of CHUBU CENTRAIR International Airport 500 Yen Commemorative Silver Proof Coin