Just after 4PM local time, 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...
Just after 4PM local time, 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.
On the afternoon of January 1, 2024, a strong earthquake struck in Ishikawa Prefecture.
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.
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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
A four-hour flight to nowhere: Tigerair’s flight to Niigata turned around and flew back to Taipei.
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
Three ANA 737s had to make an air turnback on their way to airports in the disaster-affected region.
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.
Airports affected by the earthquake. (Map generated using Great Circle Mapper)
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.
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