The former airport also known as
Kokura Airport had restrictions on aircraft operation due to its small size and location, close to mountains and residential areas. Heavy fog often resulted in flight cancellations. There were similar problems at the nearby
Fukuoka Airport, which cannot operate 24 hours due to proximity to residential areas. A new airport was intended to be free from such problems due to its offshore location, making possible 24-hour operation unlike these 2 airports. Large cargo planes can use the airport, making possible convenient freight movement to and from nearby industrial zones. Toyota has a factory just across the bay from the airport.
Construction A committee to promote the construction of the new airport was founded in 1978, with the governor of
Fukuoka as chairman. Construction began in October 1994. The new airport was anticipated by residents in and around the cities of
Kitakyushu and
Shimonoseki. The Kitakyushu municipal government organized bus tours to the construction site for interested citizens in an attempt to defuse controversy over the construction. The airport officially opened on March 16, 2006.
Flights Airbus A320-200 at the airport The first aircraft to land at the airport was a
StarFlyer Airbus on March 16, 2006. The first international flight from
Shanghai landed on March 30, 2006. A Korean
low-cost carrier,
Jeju Air, flew eight charter flights from Kitakyushu to
Incheon International Airport in summer 2008. Scheduled service on the route started in March 2009. ==Dimensions==