Last updated: January 5, 2024
Just after 4PM local time on January 1, 2024, a strong earthquake struck off the coast of Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan. Multiple flights to airports in the region made air turnbacks and landed back at the airports they departed from or diverted to other airports. Flights for the rest of the day have been canceled.
Continue reading to learn more.
January 5, 2024, Update: Noto Airport to Remain Closed for Weeks
Japanese media reported yesterday that Noto Airport, which is the closest airport to the area affected by the January 1, 2024, earthquake, will remain closed for civil aircraft at least until January 24, 2024. Military aircraft are expected to be able to use the airport within a few days.
When open, Noto Airport is served by ANA with two daily flights from Tokyo using Boeing 737-800.
January 2, 2024, Update: Airports Other Than Noto Back to Normal
With runway and other inspections finished, operations at four out of five airports in the affected area – Niigata, Komatsu, Toyama, and Shonai – are back to normal.
That said, several early morning flights departing the airports were canceled. Those were flights that would otherwise be operated by aircraft staying at those airports overnight (i.e. aircraft that did not end up arriving at the airports yesterday due to the disaster):
- NH1857 from Niigata to Sapporo New Chitose
- NH1658 from Niigata to Osaka Itami
- JL182 from Komatsu to Tokyo Haneda
- NH752 from Komatsu to Tokyo Haneda
- NH394 from Shonai to Tokyo Haneda
Extra flights to the region were added on January 2, 2024, too.
JAL added a flight from Osaka to Niigata using an E170.
Both JAL and ANA added extra flights from Tokyo to Komatsu. The former added one rotation operated by a 767-300ER with 199 seats (the same flight will also operate tomorrow) while the latter added two operated by 787-8s with 240 seats. ANA also added an extra rotation between Fukuoka and Komatsu using the Dash 8 Q400 too.
Additionally, ANA upgauged one of its rotations between Tokyo and Komatsu from a 767-300ER to a 777-300.
Noto Airport remains closed for the time being due to its runway having a 10 cm deep and 10 m long crack caused by the earthquake. That resulted in the cancelation of ANA’s double daily flights from Tokyo, both operated by 737-800s, until January 4, 2024, for the time being.
M7.6 Earthquake Strikes Off the Coast of Ishikawa Prefecture
Around 4:10PM on January 1, 2024, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 struck off the coast of Ishikawa Prefecture, near Noto Peninsula. The earthquake triggered smaller tsunamis along the Sea of Japan coast of the country and larger, up to five-meter tsunami warnings have been issued for multiple regions.
While the situation is still developing, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force dispatched multiple aircraft including a P-1 from Atsugi, a P-3C from Hachinohe, and a SH-60K helicopter from Maizuru to the area to start assessing the damage.
In addition to prompting train service cancelations and delays, the earthquake and subsequent situation resulted in the closure of airports in the region for at least the rest of the day.
１月１日午後４時１０分頃、石川県能登地方を震源とする最大震度７の地震を受けて、#海上自衛隊 のP-1（厚木）、P-3C（八戸）、SH-60K（舞鶴）が離陸し、上空からの被害情報収集を実施中です。#地震 #被害情報
（写真はイメージです。） pic.twitter.com/t7ZFlkyECy— 防衛省 海上自衛隊 (@JMSDF_PAO) January 1, 2024
Niigata, Komatsu, Toyama, Noto, and Shonai Airports Affected
Five airports on the Sea of Japan side of Japan have been affected by the disaster. Flights on their way to these airports at the time the earthquake struck turned back midair and returned to their departure airports or diverted.
This included the following three flights on their way to Niigata – two of them diverted and one returned to its origin:
- ANA flight 1866 from Okinawa operated by a 737-800 diverted to Tokyo Haneda
- Fuji Dream Airlines flight 505 from Fukuoka operated by an E175 diverted to Nagoya Komaki
- Tigerair flight 228 from Taipei Taoyuan operated by an A320-200 returned to Taipei Taoyuan
Additionally, the following three flights changed their destination mid-flight:
- ANA flight 749 from Tokyo Haneda to Noto operated by a 737-800 returned to Tokyo Haneda
- ANA flight 397 from Tokyo Haneda to Shonai operated by a 737-800 returned to Toyko Haneda
- ANA flight 1174 from Sapporo New Chitose to Komatsu operated by an A321neo diverted to Nagoya Chubu
Due to potential damage still being assessed and so on, flights to and from Niigata, Komatsu, Noto, and Shonai have been canceled at least until the end of the day (25 flights total). Given that it was just reported on the TV that a three-centimeter “bump”/”step” has been found on Noto Airport’s runway, chances are the airport will be closed for longer.
Flights to and from Toyama Airport are experiencing delays.
Summary
A strong earthquake hit near Ishikawa Prefecture’s Noto Peninsula. With a magnitude of 7.6 (and scoring 7 on Japan’s scale of 0 to 7 in some places), the earthquake was strong enough to trigger (so far small) tsunamis and disrupt transport.
Multiple flights heading to Niigata, Noto, Shonai, and Komatsu had to turn back and head back to their airport of origin or divert elsewhere. That included one international flight – Tigerair’s flight from Taipei to Niigata.
Flights at four airports have been canceled for the rest of the day. Given that Noto Airport’s runway has been damaged, chances are that the airport will remain closed for at least a few days.
The situation is still developing and I will keep updating this article with new information.
First published on 2024/01/01. Last updated on 2024/01/04 with the latest information about Noto Airport closure.
