Kyūmura International Airport

Kyūmura International Airport (旧村国際空港 Kyūmura Kokusai Kūkō) (IATA: KYU, ICAO: RTKY) is an international airport serving the Greater Toyokin Area of Takyoto. It is located in Kyūmura ward in Toyokin, which is 12 km (7 mi) northeast of the central ward, Shibuku.

Kyūmura was built to relieve international flight congestion at Toyokin-Ineku International Airport, handling a vast amount of international traffic for Toyokin. It is used as a major connection for traffic between Oceania and the Americas between Asia. It is also considered as an alternative to the Japanese airports of Haneda Airport and Narita International Airport. Kyūmura handled 25.3 million passengers in 2011, making it the third busiest airport in Takyoto behind Ineku and Nichiro International Airport. Combined with Ineku, the two airports make the tenth busiest airport system in the world, handling 73,714,597 passengers in 2011. Kyūmura is an operating hub for Takyoto Airways, Imperial Airlines, Asgaror Air, Japan Airlines, and New Holland Airways.

Construction
In the mid-1970s, Toyokin International Airport (Toyokin-Ineku Airport) was reaching its maximum capacity. The Shokishima Aviation Bureau (now the Shokishima Agency for Aviation) were discussing plans to expand the airport in order to handle a larger capacity. However, surrounding land had started developing, making expansion plans harder to start. Also, the airport's close location to residential zones had started certain curfews for the airport's operations. The residents were opposed to making the airport larger, for it could increase air pollution and noise pollution in the area.

By 1984, the Shokishima Aviation Bureau had scrapped the plans for expansion at Ineku and started plans for Kyūmura International Airport. It was to be located in the Kyūmura ward. Plans varied between one whole replacement to an international-only airport. The Bureau had decided to handle all international passenger and cargo flights at Kyūmura. The plan was disclosed in 1986, and there were little to no oppositions against the airport.

The World Terminal had started construction by 1989 under the World Airports Corporation. Alongside, Runway 09R/18L (then 09/18) had begun construction in 1988, and was originally 10,500 feet long. Kyūmura International Airport was completed in 1994, and the airport started operations on March 12, 1994. The first flight was with Takyoto Airways from Kyūmura to Nichiro.

Expansion and increased capacity
In the late 1990s, Kyūmura started experiencing large amounts of passengers. The airport was starting to run out of capacity, and needed an expansion proposal. The World Airports Corporation started working again on new terminal designs. Unlike what had happened to Ineku, there was very little development surrounding Kyūmura, making it easier on the corporation to expand. The expansion plan also called for another runway parallel to 09/18 and an upgraded transportation hub.

Terminal 2 and runway plans
Construction on the Asia Terminal (Terminal 2) had begun in 2000. The terminal was built to relieve the World Terminal of any intra-Asia flights into and from Kyūmura. Also, runway 09L/18R had begun construction. It was to be 12,000 feet (3,657 meters) long, able to host aircraft as large as an Airbus A380. The transportation hub had started expanding also, with more platforms for Imperial Railway's connections from the airport to the other wards of Toyokin.

After the September 11 attacks in 2001, the expansion plan was postponed. However, it had resumed in January 2002. The Asia Terminal was completed in April 2002, and the transportation hub completed in June 2002. Runway 09L/18R was finalized in 2003, and soon operations on the runway had begun later that year.

With Runway 09L/18R in operation, the airport operators had decided to extend Runway 09R/18L from 10,500 feet to 12,000 feet. The extension was completed quickly and both runways were in operation by 2006.

Earthquake engineering
Due to Toyokin's location along the Pacific Ring of Fire, airport constructors had to do plenty of research on earthquake engineering in order to reduce the chances of collapse or major damage to both the World Terminal and the Asia Terminal. Small tuned mass dampers were places in several central sections of the terminals that absorb the energy from the quakes. Both terminals are able to withstand a 10.0 magnitude earthquake.

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
During the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the airport experienced minor damage. However, the airport operations were halted for 2 days due to ground damage and the resulting tsunami. Transportation to and from the airport were also temporarily postponed due to fears of road damage and blackouts on the railway lines. Stranded passengers were provided with small snacks and blankets, for they had to stay overnight. Despite the occurrence, nobody was injured nor killed. The airport's operations returned to normal on March 14, 2011.

Transit upgrades
When the airport first opened in 1994, the airport was criticized for a poor variety of transit options to and from the airport to the city. There were also poor connections between the World Terminal and the Asia Terminal, which are located on different sides of the airport. The expansion plan had called for an upgraded transportation hub and also a new underground people mover to connect the two terminals.

The transportation hub, known as the Galaxy Hub (銀河ハブ Ginga Habu), was built to replace the old and remote transportation hub. It would accommodate more train platforms, a central station for the people mover, a bus terminal, a pickup and drop-off area, a taxi center, an 8-story parking structure and a rental car building. Imperial Railway was to utilize the train platforms and operate the people mover.

World Terminal
Terminal 1, commonly known as the World Terminal (世界ターミナル Sekai tāminaru) is a multi-pier terminal. It features a North Wing (W1-W9), West Wing (W10-W19), South Wing (W20-W24), and East Wing (W25-W29). They are all connected to a central dome, which contains a 4 floor duty free mall, 2 floor restaurant, and a spotting balcony at the top. Between the east face of the South Wing and the west face of the East Wing is the drop-off and pick-up area. It also locates all check-in counters and baggage claims.

North and West Wing
The North Wing (北ウイング kita-uingu) hosts gates W1-W9. It is dominated by North American carriers, the largest serving being United Airlines. AIN carriers Canadian Airlines and ColumbiAir operate through gates W5-W8. Aeromexico serves Toyokin to Mexico City nonstop, but eastbound it stops over in Tijuana for refueling. The West Wing (西棟 Nishimune) hosts gates W10-W19. It hosts all of the European and Middle Eastern flights to and from Kyūmura. Regno Aerei, Emirates, and Lufthansa are the largest operators in the West Wing. The airport's first A380 gate is located at gate W10.

South and East Wing
The South Wing (南ウイング minami-uingu) hosts gates W20-W24. It is only features 1 face to hold gates, for the east face of the wing is a curbside area. The South Wing is home to airlines Royal Ascadylea, Air Queensland, and Qantas. It is a two-story wing, with the second floor being utilized as an arcade and lounge area.

The East Wing (イーストウィング Īsutou~ingu) hosts gates W25-29. It is the smallest wing of the four, with only one floor and no lounges or shops. Air Do and Thai Airways International chose not to relocate from the World Terminal to the Asia Terminal due to overuse.

Asia Terminal
The Asia Terminal (アジア端子 Ajia tanshi) features a satellite terminal design. It hosts gates J1-J35. Each satellite building is equipped with one restaurant, one souvenir and convenience store, and 2 restrooms. The largest operator in the Asia Terminal is Takyoto Airways, which moved from the North Wing when the terminal first opened. Imperial Airlines also uses the terminal, along with many Japanese airlines.

Rail
Kyūmura Airport receives plenty of rail connections as well as express trains to stations in the Greater Toyokin Area. Imperial Railway and Shokishima Island Rail serve the airport from the Kyūmura Airport Station.

Imperial Railway
Imperial Railway operates direct commuter train services to Shibuku Station, Disunai Station, Akihaburo Station, and Yamasi Station through its subsidiary AirRail Group. From Shibuku, the trainsets divide into lines reaching Ineku Central Station and Minatoku Station. From Disunai Station, riders can receive direct service to Toyokin Disneyland. From Akihaburo Station, the line divides, reaching suburban stations of the Greater Toyokin Area. Through Yamasi Station, people can visit the stations close to famous shopping streets and nightclubs. The direct ride from Kyūmura to Shibuku, which is the longest line, takes around 30-40 minutes. During rush hour, trains can reach full capacity. The average price for the service to Shibuku is ¥2,368. AirXpress is operated under the Imperial Railway as a limited express line from Shibuku to Kyūmura via Teraku. Although AirXpress can run the route in half the time in 15 minutes. The trip usually costs twice the price than that of the commuter train at ¥5,210.

Shokishima Island Rail
Shokishima Island Rail (SIR) operates two lines to and from Shibuku Station and Yamasi Station. From Shibuku Station, SIR competes with Imperial on the AirXpress line. In order to gain more passengers, the company has lowered fees on the Kyūmura Express by 300 yen. Besides the Kyūmura Express, SIR operates a commuter train service to Yamasi Station where passengers can connect to other further stations in the Greater Toyokin Area.

Bus
There are several bus services from the airport to the bus terminal in Akihaburo Station. Buses can reach the station in 35 minutes, and passengers can connect to other places by other bus services or train services. However, due to traffic jams during rush hour in the evening on the Seihō Expressway, the duration of the service could extend up to 1-2 hours. Besides intercity bus travel, there are services to Kōdai and rural surrounding cities.

Taxi
Due to the inexact times for traffic on the Seihō Expressway, the taxi rates for passengers are fixed. Most rates usually vary from ¥7,147-¥11,913. The taxis are all run under the Takyoto Airport Taxi Corporation. The Seihō Expressway is used due to its close proximity to the airport and connection to most urban inter-city expressways in the Greater Toyokin Area.

Transfer to/from Ineku Airport
Toyokin-Ineku International Airport is approximately 1-1.5 hours away from Kyūmura Airport by car. Imperial Railway operates a free express line that can cross the distance in under half the time. There are also bus and taxi services which take much longer, but also run cheaper.