Airport News Japan

Australian Think Tank Names Ibaraki Airport "Low Cost Airport of the Year"

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Skymark aircraft at Ibaraki Airport

In October, Ibaraki Airport in Omitama, Ibaraki Prefecture was named the Low Cost Airport of the Year by an Australian think tank, the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA).

According to the Ibaraki prefectural government, Ibaraki Airport won the award for "becoming a valuable access point for northern Tokyo and its suburbs by providing an environment conducive to airlines and supporting the operation of LCCs for the past couple years" as well as for "continuing to provide excellent service to LCCs despite the serious damage inflicted by the earthquake."

Ibaraki Prefecture Governor Hashimoto attended the award ceremony in Singapore to represent the airport. "It is very uplifting for Ibaraki Prefecture, which suffered damage caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake, to receive an award like this. I have made efforts to bring the global rise of LCCs to people's attention and hold down [Ibaraki Airport's] operating costs. I am deeply moved to receive the Low Cost Airport award, which validates the goals we have set," the governor commented.

Ibaraki is the first Japanese airport to receive a reward as an LCC airport.

Based in Sydney, Australia, CAPA collects information on and analyzes the aviation market in the Asia-Pacific region. Other best-of-the-year category winners were SilkAir (Singapore) for Regional Airline of the Year, IndiGo (India) for Low Cost Airline of the Year, Changi Airport (Singapore) for International Airport of the Year and Japan Airlines for Airline of the Year. Sendai Airport (Japan) and Christchurch International Airport (New Zealand), both of which were damaged by earthquakes (in the case of Sendai, a tsunami spawned by an earthquake) also received the Special Airport Leadership award.

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