Mr. A

I joined a travel agency as a new graduate and worked at the Hokkaido branch. I'm originally from Kanagawa, but I felt the charm of Hokkaido there and wanted more people to know about it.

Mr. D

I was supervising civil engineering and paving work at a construction company, and experienced the strict lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic while stationed in Hanoi, Vietnam. After returning to Japan, I realized the risks of being posted overseas, and I also had experience in charge of paving airport runways, so I decided to change jobs to HAP.

Mr. S

I might be a bit of an oddball. Right after graduating, I worked in the development department of a food company.

Mr. A

Oh, you're in development? Now you're in accounting, right?

Mr. S

I was aiming for a job related to food, but when I actually tried it, it wasn't my style. When I had some free time during the COVID-19 pandemic, I studied bookkeeping and found it interesting, so I got certified and changed jobs to work in the accounting department of another company. I thought that HAP would broaden my work options, so I changed jobs for the second time.

Mr. K

I have changed jobs to companies that I found interesting, and HAP is my fifth company (laughs). In my previous job, I was working in public relations at a livestock company in Obihiro, and by chance I came across HAP's mid-career recruitment information.

Mr. S

So you thought HAP looked interesting and decided to change jobs?

Mr. K

Like Mr. A, I worked in sales for a major travel agency and as a tour conductor when I was younger, so I applied to HAP thinking that I might be able to work in the tourism industry again.

Mr. S

Since joining the company, I have been working in the accounting department, where I am involved in tasks such as preparing financial statements, compiling budget and actual results management documents, and compiling budgets.

Mr. A

In the passenger sales department, I am involved in sales activities such as attracting new routes and increasing the number of flights, as well as promoting passenger use, with Thailand and Indonesia as my main markets and Malaysia as a secondary market. I also handle the calculation of landing fees.

Mr. D

The areas of an airport that are primarily used by aircraft, such as runways, taxiways, and aprons, are called "airside," and I am involved in examining ways to improve the efficiency of maintenance work related to civil engineering, construction, and mechanical facilities on the airside of seven airports. I am also in charge of examining ways to streamline and automate snow removal work in the winter.

Mr. K

I have been working Obihiro Airport ever since I joined the company, and Mr. D was also assigned to Obihiro Airport when he first joined the company.

Mr. D

Thank you very much for your help at that time.

Mr. K

At the time, I was mainly in charge of SMS (Airport Safety Management System)-related matters in the Flight Information Division, but in July 2024 I was transferred to the Sales Division and am now mainly in charge of work related to Airport Terminal Building. Dealing with tenants, managing vending machines, promoting in-building advertising, planning and running events, disseminating information on the official website and social media, and so on... I do a lot of different things every day (laughs).

Mr. A

This is something that happens at regional airports (laughs). After joining the company, I worked in the General Affairs Department Memanbetsu Airport for about two years, and I did a variety of things.

Mr. A

To begin with, it was my first time changing jobs, so I was a bit worried. Even though I knew about the tourism industry, I thought the aviation industry would be a different story.

Mr. D

This was my first job change, but I thought I could put my previous experience to good use in civil engineering facility maintenance work, so I wasn't worried about the technical aspects. However, I did have some vague anxieties about entering an unknown industry.

Mr. K

In my case, I was over 40 and jumped into a field I had no experience in, but I think I was more excited than anxious. I felt like I learned the job from scratch while being taught by my younger colleagues.

Mr. S

Before joining the company, I was worried about what kind of work environment it would be and whether I would be able to fit in. In fact, my worries were completely unfounded. My colleagues in the accounting department and the employees I work with are all friendly and nice, so I am truly glad that I changed jobs to HAP.

Mr. K

I think this is because airport operations require a lot of teamwork. As we work in cooperation with other departments and affiliated companies, an atmosphere of mutual support naturally develops.

Mr. S

If you have any problems, someone will be available to help you right away.

Mr. A

Before I changed jobs, I was prepared for the airport management company to be extremely busy. But it wasn't until I came to HAP that I realized there are so many people in the world who go home on time (laughs).

Mr. S

Work-life balance is also important (laughs).

Mr. D

We held an event to announce nicknames for the airport snow removal teams at seven airports, and received over 10,000 submissions from the public.

Mr. S

It became a big topic, and the poster was cool too.

Mr. D

We wanted to widely publicize the snow removal team's role in supporting safe flight operations, and thanks to them, the motivation of our staff has also increased.

Mr. K

For me, Obihiro Airport, which had no scheduled international flights until now, will begin new scheduled flights to South Korea from May 2025. This required extensive prior coordination with various departments within the company, as well as with airlines and security companies, and it was almost like opening a new airport.

Mr. A

I also remember being impressed by my participation in an international business meeting between airlines and airport companies. Through business negotiations with people from overseas, my horizons were broadened.

Mr. S

It may seem a little low-key compared to everyone else's work (laughs), but I was involved in the creation of budgets for the entire company. With advice from those around me, I managed to create explanatory materials and videos, and I feel like I grew a little through this difficult work.

Mr. A

This kind of work is really important. Everyone works hard at it every day.

Mr. S

I would like to be able to carry out my work more efficiently. I would also like to use my work experience to train my juniors. I am also interested in working in a department related to aircraft safety...after all, I am working at HAP.

Mr. K

I think that no matter what department you work in at HAP, you can do a good job while interacting with a variety of people both inside and outside the company. For me, my top priority is to continue the regular international flights flights at Obihiro Airport. I also want to take advantage of this opportunity to attract other routes and airlines in the future.

Mr. S

What do you think will be the key points for this?

Mr. K

During the first year of service, from summer to autumn, many of our Korean customers came to play golf, so we are concerned about what will happen in winter. We are also concerned about the snow, which people will not be used to when traveling by rental car.

Mr. D

Snow is an issue that airports need to address in order to operate more effectively. I have been working on automating runway snow removal over the long term. If we can achieve autonomous driving of large snow removal vehicles, I think it will be very significant in terms of sustainable airport operation.

Mr. A

First of all, I would like to work hard to attract more customers to the Thai market during the summer season and increase the number of flights during the winter. I would also like to actively promote our business to Indonesia and Malaysia, leading to the launch of new routes.

Mr. D

Active collaboration among the seven airports will undoubtedly create an even better environment. Let's continue working together to create an airport that both domestic and international customers can visit with peace of mind.

Mr. D

I don't think many people know what kind of company an airport operating company is. The scope of work is so broad that it's hard to explain in one sentence what the company does.

Mr. K

That's true. Even job-hunting sites would have trouble figuring out where to categorize HAP.

Mr. D

As with this interview, I think more people will become interested if they know what kind of people are there and what kind of work they do.

Mr. S

During the interview, I was told, "As long as you're motivated, it's okay even if you have no experience," and that's exactly right. The training system is comprehensive, and if you run into any problems after joining the company, the people around you will help you out.

Mr. A

There are a wide variety of tasks within the company, so you can put your previous skills and experience to good use somewhere. For those who are thinking about changing jobs, I would like to say that HAP has a place where you can be an immediate asset!

Mr. D

HAP has a lot of employees on loan, so age and years of service are not really an issue. It's easy to work in an environment without such barriers.

Mr. A

In my department, there are more seconded employees than full-time employees, and I am able to learn about work attitudes, how to get things done, and how to interact with people from representative companies in Japan.

Mr. K

If you change jobs, you will lose your colleagues, but I feel that this is a company where you can develop deeper relationships than that. Even if you don't have experience or knowledge, as long as you are sincere and curious, you'll be fine.

Mr. S

The words of a veteran who has changed jobs are much more persuasive (laughs).