During a Tsunami/Quake, where do the planes go?

Posted in Airlines, Travel Industry Insight | 1 comment

TweetShare

The recent earthquake in Japan, along with the preceding tsunami also sent shock waves through the airline industry.

What exactly happened to airliners scheduled to land at the very airports that were affected by these natural occurrences?

Well, if they were American airliners, some of them went to Yokota Air Force Base (OKO) in Tokyo. A total of 11 flights landed at Yokota, including those from United Airlines & American Airlines. The airmen on base also provided the airlines with servicing and fuel, before the aircraft resumed to civilian airports.

Additionally, two of the flights that landed at Yokota, cancelled at Yokota. The flight crews elected not to continue on their journey until the following morning, so the airmen offloaded about 600 passengers and set up a make-shift hotel using chairs, cots and blankets along with supplies from the aircraft in a community center ballroom. Those flights left mid-morning the following day.

Hats off to our airmen at Yokota Air Force base!

Here’s a few photos of the diversions:

TweetShare