is an international airport in the city of Mihara, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. Located east of Hiroshima, it is the largest airport in the Chugoku and Shikoku region, and the second busiest in the region after Matsuyama Airport. 80% of the airport's domestic traffic is to and from Haneda Airport in Tokyo. In 2022, the Hiroshima-Haneda route was the tenth-busiest domestic air route in Japan.

History

thumb|Hiroshima Airport interior

thumb|Hiroshima Airport (airside)

thumb|Terminal building

The New Hiroshima Airport was opened for public use on 29 October 1993 as a replacement for the old Hiroshima Airport, which was renamed Hiroshima-Nishi Airport. The old airport was located in a more central waterfront location, but was too small to handle widebody aircraft and could not be expanded. In 1994, the New Hiroshima Airport was renamed to just Hiroshima Airport after the old airport was renamed.

The airport's single runway opened with a length of 2,500 m (700 m longer than Hiroshima-Nishi). The runway was then extended to 3,000 m in 2001, and its ILS was upgraded to CAT-IIIa in 2008 and CAT-IIIb in 2009.

Airlines and destinations

Statistics

<!--Year 2000's figure is different from the source below.-->

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Year !! Passengers !! Year !! Passengers

|-

| 1995 || style="text-align:right;"|2,652,270 || 1998 || style="text-align:right;"|2,989,733

|-

| 1996 || style="text-align:right;"|2,761,389 || 1999 || style="text-align:right;"|3,263,171

|-

| 1997 || style="text-align:right;"|2,849,670 || 2000 || style="text-align:right;"|3,330,770

|-

| 2011|| style="text-align:right;"|2,499,855 || 2012|| style="text-align:right;"|2,693,652

|-

| 2013|| style="text-align:right;"|2,622,309 || 2014|| style="text-align:right;"|2,677,134

|-

|}

Source:

Ground transportation

Road

The airport has no direct expressway connection but is located near the San'yō Expressway. Limousine bus service to and from the downtown Hiroshima Bus Terminal is scheduled at 53 minutes but is often subject to traffic delays. Hiroshima Station is accessible by bus in 45 minutes. Bus service is also available to Shiraichi Station, Fukuyama Station, Kure Station and Mihara Station.

Rail

Unusually among major Japanese airports, Hiroshima Airport has no railway station. The closest station is Shiraichi Station on the San'yō Main Line, and planners have proposed connecting the airport to this station with a new line, or to build a new station on the San'yō Shinkansen high-speed rail line. The West Japan Railway Company (JR), which operates both lines, has rejected proposals for connections because of the high cost involved and to maintain JR's competitiveness with commercial airlines for passenger traffic to and from Hiroshima.

Accidents and incidents

thumb|Landing path of Flight 162 at Hiroshima

  • On 14 April 2015, Asiana Airlines Flight 162, operated by Airbus A320 HL-7762 departed the runway on landing. The aircraft was operating an international scheduled passenger flight from Incheon International Airport, Seoul, South Korea. At least 27 of the 81 people on board were injured (25 passengers and two crew members). The airport was closed through 16 April and reopened on 17 April with the ILS offline, resulting in flight cancellations during periods of adverse weather.

References

  • Japan Airlines Hiroshima Airport Guide
  • Accident history for HIJ at Aviation Safety Network