Japan Airlines will close down its training base at Moses Lake's Grant County International Airport after more than 40 years next spring. The cost of fuel has made training in such a remote location from Japan too expensive, the airline said. The Japanese carrier was first attracted to Moses Lake because of its long runways, good weather and uncrowded skies. Grant County is the former Larson Air Force Base. Its main runway is among the longest in the country at 13,500 feet. The airport includes some 4,700 acres of land. Japan Airlines trained its Boeing 747 crews at Moses Lake. The airline will be phasing out its 747s in favor of more fuel-efficient two-engine aircraft. The Japan Airlines presence over the years spawned a number of unusual adaptations for an Eastern Washington town including a Japanese restaurant at the airport's small terminal. ...
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