Two large earthquakes struck Japan and Ecuador in the past week, with a longer term impact on International Flight Ops.
Japan
At 0124LT Saturday a 7.3 quake hit Japan, centred on Kyushu, the large island at the southern end of the country.
Airports: RJFT/Kumamoto is closed UFN to all traffic. RJFF/Fukuoka operating normally, RJFU/Nagasaki operating normally. In addition, in Kyushu: – Many roads, bridges damaged, Railways out of service, Region should be avoided.
Ecuador
On the same day, a 7.4 earthquake centred towards the north-west of Ecuador.
SEMT/Manta, a regular tech stop for traffic between the US and South America, is closed to normal operations after the Terminal and Control Tower suffered significant damage.
More on the topic:
- More: LOA Guide for US Operators
- More: NAT Ops: Flying the Blue Spruce Routes
- More: NAT Guide 2025 – My First NAT Flight is Tomorrow
- More: NAT Circle of Entry (2025)
- More: EU-LISA: New Europe Travel Requirements, the BizAv Guide
More reading:
- Latest: LOA Guide for US Operators
- Latest: NAT Ops: Flying the Blue Spruce Routes
- Latest: NAT Guide 2025 – My First NAT Flight is Tomorrow
- Safe Airspace: Risk Database
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