Hiroshima–Nishi Airport
Hiroshima–Nishi Airport Hiroshimanishi Airport 広島西飛行場 Hiroshima Nishi Hikōjō | |||||||||||
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AMSL 9 ft / 3 m | | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 34°22′01″N 132°24′50″E / 34.36694°N 132.41389°E | ||||||||||
Website | www | ||||||||||
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Hiroshima–Nishi Airport (広島西飛行場, Hiroshima Nishi Hikōjō) (IATA: HIW, ICAO: RJBH) was an airport in Nishi Ward, located 3.1 NM (5.7 km; 3.6 mi) southwest[1] of Hiroshima City, Japan.
History
Hiroshima's first airport, Yoshijima Airport (吉島飛行場), opened on a nearby island in
Following the end of World War II, the Japanese government approved a plan for a new airport in a location which could take advantage of Hiroshima's natural river topography to keep aircraft from flying over residential areas. Hiroshima Airport opened on September 15, 1961, and was initially managed by the Ministry of Transport.
The runway was extended from 1200 meters to 1800 meters in 1972. All Nippon Airways began Boeing 737 jet service to the airport in 1979, followed by Boeing 767 service in 1983.[3] Further extensions were necessary to support large jet service, and the airport's location made this impossible. A new Hiroshima Airport was built outside the city in 1993. The old Hiroshima Airport was then renamed Hiroshima–Nishi Airport and fell under the control of Hiroshima Prefecture.
Hiroshima City and Hiroshima Prefecture officials debated the future of the airport for several years in the early 2000s. City officials sought to keep the airport open in order to boost the city's economy, while prefectural officials preferred converting the southern part of the property into a heliport and building an extension of the Hiroshima South Road through the northern part. Following JAC's withdrawal from the airport, Hiroshima City legislators proposed converting the airport into a municipal airport. The ordinance proposal was rejected by the city assembly in March 2011, and a new mayor announced in May that the airport would be converted to a heliport by 2012, in line with the prefecture's original proposal. However, this plan seems to be stalled as of early 2015, though some progress had been made up to 2013. From 2014, there was a strictly limited daily time window for helicopter services to be operated out of the former airport.
References
- ^ a b AIS Japan
- ^ Saiki, Kuniaki. "広島吉島飛行場の歴史". 航空歴史館. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
- ^ "広島西飛行場 旧広島空港". 航空歴史館. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
External links
- Current weather for RJBH at NOAA/NWS
- Accident history for HIW at Aviation Safety Network