New Chitose Airport (CTS) opened on July 20, 1988, built to replace the adjacent Chitose Airport, a joint military-civilian facility that had handled passenger flights since 1963. Construction on the new civilian airport began in November 1975. The domestic passenger terminal followed in July 1992, and a dedicated international terminal opened in March 2010, expanded again in 2016. In 1994, the airport became Japan's first to operate around the clock, though overnight flights remain limited by noise restrictions.

Situated in Chitose, Hokkaido, about 50 kilometers southeast of central Sapporo, CTS is the primary gateway to Japan's northernmost main island. It ranks among the busiest airports in Japan by passenger volume, and the Tokyo Haneda to Sapporo corridor is one of the most heavily traveled air routes in the world. Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways both use CTS as a focus city; Air Do and Skymark Airlines also maintain a significant domestic presence. International routes connect primarily to destinations across East Asia, including Seoul, Taipei, and Shanghai, with seasonal service extending to Singapore and Manila.

One of the airport's more unusual traits is its physical relationship with Chitose Air Base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. The two facilities maintain separate runways connected by taxiways, and during severe winter weather, military runways occasionally relieve civilian runway closures. The JR rapid train service, which runs directly beneath the domestic terminal, has connected the airport to central Sapporo since 1992. The Tokyo-Sapporo route alone drew nearly 9.7 million passengers in 2018, making CTS one of the major single corridors in global aviation.