Flights Cancelled After Explosion at Japan’s Miyazaki Airport; Blast Blows Hole in Taxiway (UPDATE 1)

The Yomiuri Shimbun

10:59 JST, October 2, 2024 (updated at 19:15 JST)

An explosion left a crater on a taxiway at Miyazaki Airport in Miyazaki at around 8 a.m. Wednesday.

All flights to and from the airport were suspended as a result. The Miyazaki Airport office of the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry said the runway was expected to remain closed for the rest of the day.

According to the Miyazaki city fire department, it received a report from the airport office at around 8:10 a.m. saying that something like an explosion had occurred on airport grounds, and that the office were confirming details. The airport office also reported at around 8:20 a.m. that there was a smell of something like gunpowder at the scene.

According to the airport office, a hole about 7 meters long, 4 meters wide and 1 meter deep was found in the taxiway, and its cause was under investigation. There were no reports of any injuries, the Miyazaki prefectural police said.

The airport with a 2,500-meter runway serves flights to and from Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and other locations. According to the prefectural government, the airport was built in 1943 as a naval air base, later becoming a passenger airport.

In the past, U.S.-made unexploded ordnance was found on the premises.

With flights suspended, people formed lines in front of airline company counters to change or refund their tickets.