ANA will use medium body freighters as well as cargo space in the ~80 ANA passenger flights per day between Japan’s main islands and Okinawa. Initially, cargo hub service will link HND, NRT and Osaka (KIX or ITM; it’s not made clear) to OKA and then on to Seoul, Shanghai, Hong Kong Taipei and Bangkok. “Cargo departing from its origin between approximately 9 and 11 pm will be able to pass through OKA and arrive at its destination between approximately 5 and 7 am the next day.” (from PDF below). Integrated business to business express shipping delivery has been initiated, initially in Hong Kong and Shanghai as well as throughout Japan. Implicit in the model is the eventual tie-up with wide-body cargo ops to Europe and North America and an expansion to other destinations in Asia.
ANA is projecting revenues from its cargo ops by 2012 of approx. 250 billion yen, even in the face of a poor shipping climate. Airports Council International is reporting a 10% decline in NRT freight Aug 08 vs Aug 09, and that “no turnaround has been seen yet in international freight and it is to be remembered that on a month over month comparison we are now comparing declines with declines” (that is, 08’s figures recorded a decline from the 07 figures). http://www.aci.aero/cda/aci_common/d...p?zn=aci&cp=1-7-46%5E31955_666_2__
Naha airport itself is one of those impressive public works projects which one sees throughout Japan. Link below gives overview of OKA airport facilities (aside from the cargo ops), including the airport’s new domestic terminal, undersea tunnel , monorail and typhoon hangar (!). (The link is somewhat outdated as construction projects named are now completed). http://www.airport-technology.com/projects/naha/
Carpethead From Japan, joined Aug 2004, 2769 posts, RR: 4 Reply 1, posted (3 years 6 months 3 weeks 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 3060 times:
All of Naha's passenger related construction was finished over ten years ago.
If this cargo hub proves successful, acquiring additional land to build aprons will be big problem because of its proximity to the sea (corals, harbors, and etc) and some of the surrounding airport property being occupied by the military.
However, I don't see it ever getting close to the size of Memphis or Louisville.
Yeogeo From United States of America, joined Jul 2009, 790 posts, RR: 14 Reply 2, posted (3 years 6 months 3 weeks 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 2986 times:
Quoting Carpethead (Reply 1): All of Naha's passenger related construction was finished over ten years ago.
Yes, the "new" domestic terminal was completed in '99. The monorail, however, was completed in '03 and the tunnel in 06, so your statement is not quite accurate, and anyway, the passenger facilities I thought would be interesting to the average A-net reader, but are only tangentially related to the main subject which most might not be aware of: the plans of ANA's cargo hub.
As far as the cargo hub "getting close to the size of Memphis...", perhaps not. We shall see. The size of the potential market is certainly very large!
Yeogeo From United States of America, joined Jul 2009, 790 posts, RR: 14 Reply 4, posted (3 years 6 months 3 weeks 3 days 12 hours ago) and read 2857 times:
Quoting Carpethead (Reply 3): As for the tunnel, which tunnel is this?
"The Naha tunnel was designed to improve transport between the airport and the harbour as well as between the harbour and the south of the island. Construction on the tunnel began in November 1997. The Naha underground tunnel connects Naha Airport and Migushiku in Naha City...The method used to construct the Naha tunnel was to tow prefabricated blocks above the site and sink them into prepared trenches.... The 722m tunnel lies approximately 24m underwater and was opened, on schedule, in July 2006..."
I was hoping that someone in Japan, like yourself, could provide more info! I am assuming the tunnel provides another access to the airport for the public, but its not clear, is it, whether its a service tunnel or public facility.
Perhaps I'll have to report from the site myself on my next trip to Japan, unfortunately not scheduled until '11.
I'm eager to visit Okinawa... Any impressions of the island, Carpethead?
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From United States of America, joined Jul 2009, 790 posts, 
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