Tokyo Haneda Airport

Haneda opened in 1931 as Haneda Airfield, Japan's first major civil airport, on the shore of Tokyo Bay. Requisitioned by US occupation forces after World War II, it returned to Japanese control in the 1950s and grew into the country's jet-age front door. When Narita opened in 1978, almost all international flights were forced out of Haneda, which became a domestic mega-airport serving Japan's uniquely dense internal air network while the city grew around it.

From the 1980s an enormous offshore expansion program rebuilt the airport on reclaimed land farther into the bay, adding new runways and terminals in stages. The turning point came in 2010, when the fourth runway, the D-runway built partly on piles over the water, opened together with a new international terminal, restoring Haneda's role as a global gateway.

Because it sits just 15 kilometers from central Tokyo, airlines and governments have competed fiercely for its slots ever since. Today Haneda consistently ranks among the five busiest airports in the world and serves as the premier hub for both Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, whose flagship aircraft meet at the airport every hour of the day.

Haneda operates four runways arranged in two crossing pairs jutting into Tokyo Bay, a layout that demands intricate sequencing as configurations shift with the wind. Terminal 1 primarily serves Japan Airlines, Terminal 2 All Nippon Airways along with some international flights, and Terminal 3 the bulk of international carriers.

Slots are among the most valuable in world aviation, so nearly every flight operates with large, full aircraft. The domestic operation is staggering, with trunk routes to Sapporo, Fukuoka and Okinawa running like a bus service. The monorail and Keikyu line whisk passengers downtown in minutes.