Ibaraki Airport to launch services on 10-Mar-2010 with Asiana services; Skymark services to follow

Ibaraki Airport, Tokyo Metropolitan Area's third airport, held an opening ceremony on 07-Mar-2010, ahead of the operational launch on 10-Mar-2010, when Asiana Airlines launches daily Incheon-Ibaraki service (Kyodo, 08-Mar-2010). Ibaraki Airport will be Japan's 98th airport, and was constructed at the Air Self-Defense Force's Hyakuri base in Omitama, Ibaraki Prefecture, approximately 80 km Northeast of Tokyo. As part of the development, the airport's air base facilities were redeveloped to be shared with commercial airlines, with the process involving the addition of a second 2,700 m runway. Skymark Airlines plans to launch daily Kobe-Ibaraki service from 16-Apr-2010. A prefectural public corporation managing the airport terminal building expects to report a USD220,000 loss in the initial year of operation.