Kitakyushu Airrport / Image Source: Wikipedia / Photo by: 海人
An experience like spending the night close to airplanes is about to begin at Kitakyushu Airport. A reporter was given a sneak peek at this first-of-its-kind attempt in Japan to allow people to stay overnight in a hangar.
Opening the tent in the 20-meter-high StarFlyer hangar, what greeted the eye was… an airplane. This is Kitakyushu Airport in Kokura Minami-ku, Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture.
RKB reporter Taishi Iwamoto: “Tonight’s accommodation is not a hotel. It’s a hangar that you normally can’t enter.” It’s called “Wings and Dreams in the Hangar Night.” The accommodation is in a StarFlyer hangar that is approximately 20 meters high. Hangars are places where airplanes are stored and you normally can’t enter them, but…
Shunsuke Taniguchi of JTB Kitakyushu Branch: “When we were thinking about what kind of project we could do that would appeal to aviation fans, we thought that while you can ride in an airplane, spending a night at this distance is an experience you can’t easily have anywhere else.” There is also a sauna room overlooking the runway. The accommodation is a tent pitched inside the hangar. And there’s even this service…
RKB reporter Taishi Iwamoto: “I’m in the sauna right now, but if I go outside from here, I can see the runway like this.” The sauna room is set up outside the hangar. You can cool your warmed body with the wind blowing through the airport. Planes taking off and landing pass right in front of you. It is a special experience that can only be enjoyed at an airport. Late at night, a scene like something out of a movie… And late at night… Just like a scene from a movie, a plane that has just finished a flight from Tokyo enters the hangar.
RKB reporter Taishi Iwamoto: “The plane that finished its flight today has entered the hangar. It is very impressive when you see it up close.” The distance to the plane is only a few meters. You can relax while feeling close to the plane that has finished its flight for the day and is resting its wings. The lights are turned off, and a quiet time flows by as you sleep beside the plane at night. You wake up at 7 a.m. to the sound of airplane engines. The sound of airplane engines coming from the runway serves as your alarm clock.
RKB reporter Taishi Iwamoto: “The plane we slept with is about to leave the hangar and head out for today’s flight. It’s a hard worker from early in the morning.” The overnight experience came to an end as we watched the aircraft leave the hangar. As for the price… The event also includes a hangar tour guided by a mechanic and a bingo game where you can win a ride in a vehicle that tows an airplane. The price is 330,000 yen per person, and it is open to elementary school students and older.・One tent for one person → 330,000 yen ・One tent for two people → 192,500 yen per person *Prices include tax
Shunsuke Taniguchi, JTB Kitakyushu Branch: “The hangar is empty except when it’s being maintained, and this valuable space has a lot of downtime, which was a challenge for StarFlyer. We proposed this idea to see if we could add some value to it.” “We want to expand our fan base” Reservations are available on a dedicated website Shinji Motoori,
General Manager of Corporate Strategy, StarFlyer: “We hope that this project will help people feel closer to us and expand our fan base. We also want to think about new revenue themes while utilizing our brand.” This is the first time in Japan that an overnight stay in a hangar is being offered. Expectations are high for this new form of travel that utilizes the airport. Reservations have been accepted since March 12th on a dedicated website, and there are three overnight stay experiences planned from April to June.
