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Monbetsu Airport, also known as Okhotsk Monbetsu Airport, serves the city of Monbetsu on Hokkaido's Sea of Okhotsk coast and is the newest of the Hokkaido government's airports, having opened in November 1999. It offers a single long hard-surfaced runway with an ILS, making it a straightforward destination for both airline traffic and general aviation flights exploring Japan's far northeast.
Monbetsu Airport (ICAO: RJEB, IATA: MBE), officially Okhotsk Monbetsu Airport, is a third-class airport operated by the Hokkaidō Government serving the city of Monbetsu on the Sea of Okhotsk coast of Hokkaidō, Japan. It began life as a general aviation field before growing into a modest regional airline gateway, and for a simulator pilot it offers an interesting long single-runway approach in a remote, scenic part of northern Japan close to the winter drift ice for which the region is known.
The airport lies roughly 3.8 nautical miles (about 8 km) southeast of the city centre of Monbetsu, on the Sea of Okhotsk coast of Hokkaidō. It is about fifteen minutes' drive from the city and is served by a shuttle bus from the Monbetsu Bus Terminal, giving a useful reference for orientation on the ground.
Monbetsu has a single physical runway, 14/32, with a hard surface measuring approximately 6,514-6,515 ft in length and lit for night operations. An ILS is available for runway 32, giving instrument approach capability to that end of the runway.
The field is served by an aeronautical/ground (A/G) frequency of 118.15 MHz, operated remotely. Runway 32 is equipped with an ILS for instrument approaches.
The airport sits close to the Sea of Okhotsk coastline southeast of Monbetsu city, with the Okhotsk Tower in the vicinity providing a landmark referenced by local ground transport routes to and from the field.
Monbetsu Airport opened in November 1999 as the newest airport in Hokkaidō, replacing an earlier Monbetsu Airport that stood further from the city. It was originally used for general aviation flying before Air Nippon began daily scheduled service to New Chitose Airport near Sapporo in its opening year, adding flights to Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) in 2000. The Sapporo route was transferred to Okadama Airport in 2001 and discontinued altogether in 2003. Hokkaido Air System briefly operated a daily service to Okadama Airport between July and November 2011. In fiscal year 2008 the airport recorded a substantial operating loss, the highest among the six airports run by the Hokkaidō government at the time, and in 2011 the government waived landing fees for international charter flights in an effort to attract more overseas visitors. Scheduled service to Sapporo's New Chitose Airport resumed in the winter of 2013 with a daily All Nippon Airways 737-700 flight.
The airport's terminal building is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. All Nippon Airways operates flights linking Monbetsu with Tokyo-Haneda. The airport remains noted locally as the closest airport in Japan to the seasonal Sea of Okhotsk drift ice, which draws seasonal visitor traffic.
