# Wakkanai Airport

Wakkanai Airport (稚内空港, Wakkanai Kūkō) (IATA: WKJ, ICAO: RJCW) is an airport located 10 km (6.2 mi) east southeast of Wakkanai, Hokkaidō, Japan.
Wakkanai is the northernmost airport in Japan that is capable of handling jet aircraft; due to its small size, it is susceptible to closures during the coldest winter months, in which case incoming aircraft are often diverted to Asahikawa Airport.

## Facilities

The runway is 2,200 meters long in the 08/26 direction, has no parallel taxiway, and has turning pads on both ends of the runway. The landing strip is 300 meters wide and is suitable for instrument landing. The terminal building operated by Hokkaido Airport is located on the south side of the runway. It was completed in 1998 and is equipped with facilities for domestic flights only, not international flights. It has one jet bridge, one apron gate for mid-sized jet aircraft, and two apron gates for commuter aircraft. The terminal building has four aboveground floors and one underground floor, with the first to fourth floors used as passenger areas.
* Wakkanai Airport in winter
* View from passenger lounge of ANA Airbus A320
* View from Observation Deck
* Terminal building

## History

Wakkanai Airport opened to passenger traffic in 1960, initially with a 1200 meter runway, and flights by Japan Domestic Airlines to Okudama Airport on an irregular basis. Japan Domestic Airlines was replaced by Yokohama Airlines in 1965. Air Nippon began scheduled service to Okadama Airport and Rishiri Airport in 1974, followed by Rebun Airport in 1978 and New Chitose Airport in 1980. The city of Wakkanai provided subsidies for city residents to use the flight until 2005, when discounted fares became available. In 1987, the runway was lengthened to 1800 meters and a new terminal building was opened on the south side of the runway to handle jet operations. This allowed All Nippon Airways to begin jet service to Tokyo. The flight was initially seasonal and did not become a year-round service until 1997. The runway was extended again, to 2000 meters in 1988 and an instrument landing system (ILS) was installed. The terminal building was expanded in 1998. However, in Air Hokkaido discontinued the short Rebun and Rishiri commuter flights in 2003 due to poor load factors. The runway was further extended to 2200 meters in 2009. In 2016, air traffic control operations were transferred to New Chitose Airport. The airport was privatized in 2021.
As of 2022, ANA has two scheduled daily round trips to Sapporo using Bombardier Q400 turboprops, and one scheduled daily round trip to Tokyo (two from June to September) using Boeing 737 and Airbus A321 jets.

## Airlines and destinations

| Airlines | Destinations |
| All Nippon Airways | Tokyo–Haneda |
| ANA Wings | Sapporo–Chitose |

## Ground transportation

The airport is 12 kilometers east of central Wakkanai, along the Sōya National Highway ( Japan National Route 238), which runs along the coast of Sōya Bay between Cape Noshappu (Sea of Japan side) and Cape Sōya (Sea of Okhotsk side).

### Bus
#### Airport Terminal Bus stop

This bus stop is located near the airport.
| No. | Via | Destination | Company | Note |
| 32 (Kuko Sen) | Minami-Wakkanai Station・Wakkanai Station | Wakkanai Ferry Terminal | Soya Bus | Departure times are scheduled to coincide with the ANA flight schedule |
| Soya Misaki-Kuko Sen | Soya・Soya Misaki・Soya・Wakkanai Station | Wakkanai Ferry Terminal | Soya Bus | Runs between August and October. Departure times are scheduled to coincide with the ANA flight schedule. Soya bus stop is stopped at twice. |

#### Jidōsha Gakkō-mae Bus stop　自動車学校前

This bus stop is located on Japan National Route 238 in front of the Wakkanai Driving School.
| No. | Via | Destination | Company | Note |
| Tenpoku-Soya　Misaki Sen | Minami-Wakkanai Station | Wakkanai Station | Soya Bus | Runs on only one service through Ekimae dōri. |
| Tenpoku-Soya　Misaki Sen | Soya Misaki・Ōmisaki Elementary School・Onishibetsu Station・Sarufutsu Station・Hamatonbetsu Station・Nakatonbetsu Station | Otoineppu Station | Soya Bus | Bus bound for Otoineppu Station runs in only the morning. Most of services run till Nakatonbetsu Station Bus Terminal. |

### Railway

Until 1989, the JNR Tempoku Line passed by the airport; however, the airport did not have a station on the line except for one day in June 1987, when a temporary Higashi-Koetoi Station was opened to accommodate visitors to the airport's extended runway.