Kōchi Airport – KCZ Kochi

Kōchi Airport is a regional airport located in Nankoku in Kōchi, Japan and operates with an airport code of KCZ. This public airport is also commonly referred to as Kōchi Ryōma Airport and was originally constructed in 1944. It was originally built as Kōchi Airfield designed for the use of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

The US forces took over the airfield from 1945 to 1952 before it was converted to a civilian airport. KCZ is owned by the Japanese government and is run by Kōchi Airport. In 2013, Kōchi Ryōma Airport became the first airport in the country to be named after a person. KCZ was named in honor of Sakamoto Ryōma, a prominent leader during the Bakumatsu period.

Best Time to Visit

There are several airlines operating in KCZ-Kōchi Airport including All Nippon Airways, ANA Wings, Japan Airlines, Jetstar Japan, and Fuji Dreams Airlines. Passengers can fly to and from a number of domestic routes such as Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka. This airport primarily attends to the city of Kōchi and serves 2,400,000 passengers traveling through the city yearly.

KCZ consists of a single runway that can accommodate small to medium aircraft. It was expanded later on so it can handle bigger aircraft.

What to Do & Area Attractions

There are plenty of accommodations in the city and some are located near the airport. The Guesthouse Suisennosato is located 2.3 miles from KCZ and is ideal for budget travelers. Meanwhile, the Hotel Nikko Kochi Asahi Royal is a 4-star hotel with a distance of 7.2 miles from the airport.