ROAH/OKA - Okinawa -Mr Kinjo - April 2024

Hotel: Mr Kinjo 

NOTE THIS HOTEL IS NOW CLOSED

Room: Top floor 601 £30 

Info:  Arrived mid afternoon. Domestic deck was scorchio so filled my face by the window in the restaurant waiting for CG hangars to open .. which they eventually did! Very enjoyable here … transferred Uber to Mr Kinjo Hotel. Great value and great view with balcony on top floor. All movements visible and decent views into F15 land if that’s your bag. No brekkie here but supermarket 5 mins down the road for supplies.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/khgNwS4DhGEfzD3H8 

RJFF/FUK - Fukuoka - Grand View - April 2024.

Fukuoka FUK

Hotel: Grand View

Room: High floor city view £50

Info: For me, this place is not to be missed if travelled all this way! Fantastic new domestic decks were enjoyed for the rest of the day until darkness. Headed to the Grandview Hotel 20 min walk away located just southeast of the eastern threshold. High floor room gave views of the short final in front and the eastern domestic stands. Handy for a kip, but no point hanging around in the morning as straight back onto the terraces. Very average brekkie but hotel shuttle was convenient. Airside for flight to KIX via HND for a couple of hours.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/YCX2i3sw5cEooY1f7

RJTT/HND - Tokyo Haneda - Royal Park - April 2024.

Hotel: Royal Park 

Room: Premium Comfort Double £80

Late arrival to HND and headed to T3 to check straight into hotel. View of the T3 cul de sac and runways. Nice and convenient, and handy for an early start on the terraces the next day.  The hotel for the night was the Royal Park Hotel in the terminal at Haneda. Check in is automatic so there didn’t seem to be a way to ask for a specific room but any even numbered room on a high floor should provide a view out over the international terminal we had room 822 and the view was great.  

https://maps.app.goo.gl/mGcn7Ggg6edy9nqB6

RKSS/GMP - Seoul Gimpo - Lotte City Gimpo - April 2024.

Hotel: Lotte City Gimpo

Room: Deluxe Airport View 832 £90

Info: Arrived in darkness to int terminal. Enormous new GA hangars open and lit with just an unidentified Kingair inside. Quick through immigration and a short walk over to hotel which is on top of a shopping mall. Views are of the northern half of the field including international stands and remote parking for biz and stored ATR’s. A window in the corridor looks back to domestic term and Korean maintenance. Up early and a walk over to the decks … as recently reported the old KAA deck remains closed ( I asked at the building front desk and no one knew what I was talking about) but the new one in the top left corner of the domestic is a welcome option to hang out and graph a few. Coffee shop right by the entrance and usual stuff in the terminal downstairs. Once most gaps filled, down to the railway station for the short trip to ICN. Cash required for ticket.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/yxDD8xT4VvX4V8Nx6

VVNB/HAN - Hanoi - Paragon Noi Ba - April 2024

Hotel: Paragon Noi Ba Suite with Balcony £30 The Hotel is just west of the international terminal and just south of the western thresholds. Upgraded to exec suite on top floor although didn’t view from there as this place has a rooftop pool! All good for views and photos. All movements seen although domestic terminal out of sight. Spent rest of evening and next morning up here chilling out. Local hotel food decent and cheap. Shuttle back to airport included one way. 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/1XASTkuKpDr3tmnL8

HECA/CAI - Cairo - Le Meridien Cairo airport - April 2024

On a ground tour of the sights of Egypt but worked some nights at the Le Meridien Cairo airport so some spotting info which may help anyone coming through. The hotel is modern and not overly expensive. It sits opposite T3 Egyptair and offers a choice of rooms facing south 05C/05R or north (pool view) 05L. Airport views as offered to the south mostly look at the terminal, not over. Both r/w directions in use during our stay. 

We had #446 airport view with club access. If landing on 05C/R you get a 15 second look out the window over the threshold or a better look as they depart away from you.  If on 05L north of the hotel you can step out of the room into a glass atrium and easily see the runway. When on 23R that atrium is your friend or from the room you can see taxi out to threshold and landers 23L/C. They get airborne just over the terminal. So, suggest even number rooms floor 4/5, anything from *40-*50. From these rooms you cannot see the approach to Almazah so needed 7x and Gulfs missed. They show on fr24 as landed at HECA but they are not at the main airport. Some rooms are offered as airport view with balcony, I guess anything on the western end may offer a good view of the mil base subject haze. 

 

Nothing read off by eyeball! FR24 the only app with any (half) decent coverage but even that is hit and miss,many things do not track or show. SBS would be very useful but wouldn’t dream of bringing it into the country. I read that bins, scopes and larger cameras are frowned upon and may be confiscated by security. I brought a small monocular and been ultra discreet, it may help we are on a proper tour, the guide met us airside (!)and smoothed our way through passport and security but security is everywhere. Solo travellers may have more hassle. I’ve not had a look at the stored ramps and can’t see them from the hotel. Likewise mil ramps too distant. Like Nick I couldn’t see a safe way to get to T1 which is nearer these ramps. 

 

Traffic as expected: plenty of Saudi (SVA KNE FAD), smaller types from Middle East carriers (KAC IYE Syrian etc) and a good variety of Egyptian carriers.  

A good hotel for our needs- my wife is quite happy by the pool area whilst I do the lonely vigil at the window. Some interesting visitors with plenty of good stuff after dark but it really can’t be seen. Also incredibly frustrating for a/c seen but doesn’t track. You will fill some nice gaps.  

https://maps.app.goo.gl/nvcSn8CKZqF9Dvi67

Credit Ian Nicholas