FUKUOKA (Tokyo) -- A new runway began operating at Fukuoka Airport on Thursday to address increasing congestion at the hub for flights connecting southwestern Japan and other parts of Asia.

With two runways, including the new 2,500-meter one, the airport has increased its takeoff and landing slots to 188,000 from 176,000 per year, amid Japan's inbound tourism boom. The new runway will be mainly used for international flight takeoffs.

The airport, located only around 3 kilometers from JR Hakata Station in central Fukuoka, handled around 25 million international and domestic flight passengers in fiscal 2023, the fourth-highest number in Japan, after Haneda in Tokyo, Narita in Chiba Prefecture and Kansai airport in Osaka Prefecture.

Chronic flight delays led the central government to commence construction of the new runway in fiscal 2015. A total of 164.3 billion yen ($1.1 billion) was spent on the project, including for building a new airport control tower.

The new runway runs parallel to the old one, which is 2,800 meters long. The runways cannot be used at the same time due to their proximity.