Fukuoka Airport

The Imperial Japanese Army Air Force constructs Mushiroda Airfield on former rice farmland, using Allied prisoner-of-war labor; the low-lying site proves prone to flooding.

The United States Air Force takes control in November, renaming the facility Itazuke Air Base and stationing bomber and fighter units there through the early Cold War.

During the Korean War (1950-1953), Itazuke becomes a major USAF combat airfield, hosting multiple fighter groups and bomber wings supporting operations on the peninsula.

Japan Airlines launches the airport's first civilian route, connecting Fukuoka-Osaka-Tokyo, inaugurating commercial use alongside ongoing military operations.

Itazuke Air Base ceases major military operations on March 31, clearing the way for the site's full transition toward civilian airport use.

A dedicated International Terminal opens, expanding the airport's capacity for overseas routes such as the Busan, South Korea service launched in 1965.

With annual operations having exceeded the airport's roughly 145,000-flight capacity by 2012, Fukuoka is officially designated a congested airport in 2016.

A long-planned second runway begins operations in March, dedicated to international departures, though it cannot operate simultaneously with the original runway.