Misawa Airport

Misawa Airport
Misawa Airport
	Terminal building
	IATA: MSJ; ICAO: RJSM;
Summary
Airport type	Military/Public
Owner	Ministry of Defense (airfield); Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (civilian terminals)
Operator	United States Air Force (airfield); Misawa Airport Terminal Co., Ltd. (civilian terminals)
Location	Misawa, Aomori, Japan
Elevation AMSL	119 ft / 36 m
Coordinates	40°42′19″N 141°22′19″E / 40.70528°N 141.37194°E
Map
	RJSM RJSM
Runways
Statistics (2015)
Passengers
Passengers	252,616
Cargo (metric tonnes)	388
Aircraft movement	3,663
	Source: Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

Misawa Airport (三沢飛行場, Misawa Hikōjō) (IATA: MSJ, ICAO: RJSM) is an airport in Misawa, a city in the Aomori Prefecture of Japan. It shares facilities and airport codes with the Misawa Air Base.

History

An Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service base was established at Misawa in 1941, and nearby Lake Ogawara was reportedly one of the locations used by the Imperial Japanese Navy to practice for the attack on Pearl Harbor due to its shallow depth. The base was heavily bombed by the United States Navy in 1945, and subsequently occupied by the United States after the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II. The first Misawa Airport was opened on January 11, 1952, with Japan Airlines providing scheduled services to Haneda Airport in Tokyo and Chitose Airport in Hokkaidō. However, commercial operations were suspended from March 31, 1965, due to pressure from the United States, citing safety and security concerns, and flight operations were transferred to nearby JMSDF Hachinohe Air Base. Misawa Airport reopened on May 10, 1975, with a new terminal building completed in 1977; the terminal was expanded and rebuilt in 1986.

Initially served by Toa Airways with McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and MD-80 aircraft to Tokyo (Haneda), Sapporo (Chitose), and Osaka Itami, operations were upgraded to Airbus A300 aircraft after Toa Airways became Japan Air System in 1988. These flights were taken over by Japan Airlines after its acquisition of Japan Air System in 2002. However, with the opening of the Tōhoku Shinkansen to Hachinohe in December 2002, the number of passengers has decreased and equipment changed back to the MD-80. Flights to Chitose were discontinued in 2007.

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Hokkaido Air System	Sapporo–Okadama
J-Air	Osaka–Itami
Japan Airlines	Tokyo–Haneda

Ground transportion

Buses

Towada Kankō Electric Railway operates the following buses:

Bus stop	Bus	via	Destination	Note
Airport Terminal Bus stop	Expressway bus Airport bus	Misawa Station (Aomori)	Hon-Hachinohe Station	There are 5 round-trip services.
Misawa Kuko Onsen mae^[2]^[3]	Mi-Bus^[4]	Misawa City Hall	Misawa Station (Aomori)
Misawa Kuko Dōri^[5]^[6]	Misawa Momoishi Line	Misawa Gyoko	Momoishi Chūō^[7]
	Misawa Momoishi Line	Misawa City Hall・Misawa Station (Aomori)	Misawa Information Desk
	Tetsudo Daitai Bus	Misawa City Hall・Misawa Station (Aomori)・Takashizu・Towadashi Chūō (Towadashi Station)	Sanko Seimon mae