Ishigaki Airport
Encyclopedia
, is a third-class airport located 1 NM from Ishigaki
city centre in Okinawa Prefecture
, Japan
. The airport fields flights to major cities on the Japanese mainland as well as destinations throughout Okinawa Prefecture
and the Yaeyama Islands
.
, and traffic has been growing steadily as the Yaeyama Islands
have become a popular tourist destination. However, the current runway cannot accommodate planes larger than a Boeing 737
, and the present site is not suitable for expansion due to urban encroachment. The airport also does not have facilities for handling standard cargo containers.
To meet these needs, is under construction on the eastern side of the island. Plans for the new airport date back to 1979, when the prefectural government planned to build a 2500 m (8,202 ft) runway by the shore at Shiraho (白保). However, due to concerns about coral
, the residents of Shiraho have long opposed the project. In addition, historical artifacts from the Shiraho Saonetabaru Cave Ruins
some 18,000 to 15,000 years old have been dug up, impacting the timeline of the project.
The new airport is supposed to have a 2000 m (6,562 ft) runway, expandable to 2500 m (8,202 ft). Construction started in October 2006, for completion by 2013. However, due to delays it is expected to be pushed out.
Ishigaki, Okinawa
Ishigaki is an island west of Okinawa Hontō and the second-largest island of the Yaeyama Island group. It is within the City of Ishigaki in Okinawa Prefecture. The city functions as the business and transport center of the archipelago...
city centre in Okinawa Prefecture
Okinawa Prefecture
is one of Japan's southern prefectures. It consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The airport fields flights to major cities on the Japanese mainland as well as destinations throughout Okinawa Prefecture
Okinawa Prefecture
is one of Japan's southern prefectures. It consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island...
and the Yaeyama Islands
Yaeyama Islands
The Yaeyama Islands are a group of islands in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.The isles are the remotest part of Japan from the main islands and contains Japan's most southern and most western inhabited islands.The islands form the southern part of the volcanic Nansei Islands...
.
History
The airport was opened in 1943 for military use, and converted to a civilian airport in 1956. The runway was extended from 1200 metre in 1968, allowing YS-11 aircraft to land.Future
The airport presently serves about 1.8 million passengers a year, making it the second busiest third-class airport in Japan, behind Kobe AirportKobe Airport
is an airport on an artificial island just off the coast of Kobe, south of Sannomiya Station Japan. It primarily handles domestic flights, but can also accommodate international charter flights. In the first year of operation the airport handled 2,697,000 passengers with an average load factor of...
, and traffic has been growing steadily as the Yaeyama Islands
Yaeyama Islands
The Yaeyama Islands are a group of islands in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.The isles are the remotest part of Japan from the main islands and contains Japan's most southern and most western inhabited islands.The islands form the southern part of the volcanic Nansei Islands...
have become a popular tourist destination. However, the current runway cannot accommodate planes larger than a Boeing 737
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
, and the present site is not suitable for expansion due to urban encroachment. The airport also does not have facilities for handling standard cargo containers.
To meet these needs, is under construction on the eastern side of the island. Plans for the new airport date back to 1979, when the prefectural government planned to build a 2500 m (8,202 ft) runway by the shore at Shiraho (白保). However, due to concerns about coral
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
, the residents of Shiraho have long opposed the project. In addition, historical artifacts from the Shiraho Saonetabaru Cave Ruins
Shiraho Saonetabaru Cave Ruins
Shiraho Saonetabaru Cave Ruins is an archeological site located on Ishigaki Island of the Yaeyama Islands of Japan.It was discovered in 2007 when plans for the New Ishigaki Airport were being developed...
some 18,000 to 15,000 years old have been dug up, impacting the timeline of the project.
The new airport is supposed to have a 2000 m (6,562 ft) runway, expandable to 2500 m (8,202 ft). Construction started in October 2006, for completion by 2013. However, due to delays it is expected to be pushed out.
Airlines and destinations
External links
- Ishigaki Airport
- New Ishigaki Airport (in Japanese)
- Ishigaki Airport Guide from Japan AirlinesJapan Airlinesis an airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. It is the flag carrier of Japan and its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport , as well as Nagoya's Chūbu Centrair International Airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport...