Wakkanai Airport guide

Wakkanai Airport serves Wakkanai, the northernmost city in Japan, at the northern tip of Hokkaido. It lies about 10 kilometres east-southeast of the city centre, and buses on National Route 238 link the two. The airport is the northernmost in Japan able to handle jet aircraft.

The airport opened in 1960 with a 1,200-metre runway. Stage-by-stage extensions in 1987, 1988 and 2009 brought the single asphalt runway, aligned 08/26, to 2,200 metres. The terminal dates from 1998 and handles domestic flights only. It has one jet bridge, one apron gate for mid-sized jets and two for commuter aircraft. Ownership rests with the national government, while Hokkaido Airports has run operations since the 2021 privatisation.

ANA flies to Tokyo Haneda and, through ANA Wings, to Sapporo Chitose. Commuter links to Rishiri and Rebun began in the 1970s and ended in 2003. Winter snow and wind can close the airport, and arrivals are then often diverted to Asahikawa. In 2022 the airport handled 147,713 passengers and 1,342 aircraft movements.