New airport opens in Japan

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Thursday, 11th March 2010
In Events In Japan,

A new airport has been opened in the Ibaraki region in Japan.

The airport is the 98th to be built in Japan and cost some 22 billion yen (£147 million) to construct, a figure which has been criticised by a number of groups in Japan as wasteful in the current climate.

The new airport is 50 miles away from the capital Tokyo, but only offers one flight each day, which takes Japanese passengers to South Korea. From April, airport users will also be able to fly to Kobe with Skymark Airlines.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the airport, Ibaraki governor Masaru Hashimoto said that there are plans in place to make the airport into a major transport hub.

"Low cost carriers is a segment that is expected to grow and Ibaraki Airport will be the only airport to seriously work with them," he said.

The Japanese aviation sector was recently impacted by its biggest carrier, Japan Airlines, filing for bankruptcy protection.

Written by Mark Smith.