When discussing the various changes and history of Tokyo International Airport, also called Haneda Airport (HND), it's remarkable that such a relatively small part of Asia can have such a large effect on international travel. HND used handle the domestic flights entering and leaving Tokyo, while the nearby Narita International aviation center tackled primarily all international flights, but today's HND has expanded to be able to offer services to many more international markets (i.e. Seoul, Shanghai, and Hong Kong). The second busiest airport in Asia, HND is the fifth busiest in the entire world based on passenger travel, and further expansion plans should see their handling capabilities reach around 90 million passengers by the end of 2010.
HND first started as a civil airspace during World War II that offered flights throughout Korea, Manchuria, and the rest of Japan. After the war in 1945, the U.S. Allied Forces took command of HND (renaming it Haneda Army Air Base) and extended HND's runways. While embroiled in the Korean War, U.S. forces used HND as a strategic military base that allowed Navy flight nurses to evacuate seriously injured patients to nearby Tokyo and Yoksuka hospitals. By 1952, Japan regained control of HND and continued the expansion started by the U.S. by building HND's first passenger terminal in 1955 (which later got an extension to handle international flights by 1963).
The Modern HND is still largely in a state of flux. As mentioned, HND has started taking more international flights after historically leaving the Narita International Airport to fill the role. Due to Narita being closed between 11 PM and 6 AM, it made since for Haneda to take over the gap in international flight coverage. The 3rd terminal at HND built specifically for international travel is almost set to be completed (projected date of completion is October 2010), and will be a 5-story terminal with 2,300-car-capacity parking lot.
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