In commemoration of 60 years since its opening, on April 25 Southern Hokkaido’s Hakodate Airport held an event called “Parent and Child Adventure! Runway Walk at Hakodate Airport”. A total of 38 parents and children from areas including the city of Hakodate participated. They strolled along the runway, an area that is normally closed to the public, and experienced the amazing size of that area firsthand.

Hakodate Airport Terminal Building and the Hakodate Airport Office of Hokkaido Airports organized the event out of a desire to make the airport a more familiar place to people in the area.

A little after 5:00 a.m. on April 25, the participants moved from the airport terminal building to the runway via bus. On the bus, the guide explained that the Airport has over 1,300 aeronautical ground lights on the runway and taxiway areas. The participants also learned that different colored lights denote different meanings, with orange lights designating the sides of the runway and blue designating the sides of the taxiway, for example.

The runway is 3,000 meters long and 45 meters wide. Aeronautical ground lights were lit up for the event. Participants strolled leisurely along 500 meters of the runway amidst cold winds, enjoyed taking commemorative photographs, and generally had a fun time.