is a Japanese airline

Airline

An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...

 based in Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture

Kagoshima Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Kagoshima.- Geography :Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu and includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest for a few hundred kilometers...

. It operates feeder services in support of Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines

is 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...

. Its main base is Kagoshima Airport

Kagoshima Airport

-External links:* *...

, with hubs at Osaka International Airport

Osaka International Airport

or Osaka-Itami International Airport is the primary domestic airport for the Kansai region of Japan, including the major cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. It is classified as a first class airport....

, Amami Airport and Fukuoka Airport

Fukuoka Airport

, formerly known as Itazuke Air Base, is an international and domestic airport located east of Hakata Station in Fukuoka, Japan. It is officially designated a second class airport. It is operating at full capacity, and cannot be further expanded. Flights stop at 10 p.m...

.

History

The airline was established on 1 July 1983 and started operations in December 1983. A joint investment plan with public and private investors in fourteen Kagoshima Prefecture

Kagoshima Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Kagoshima.- Geography :Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu and includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest for a few hundred kilometers...

 municipalities established Japan Air Commuter. At the time JAC was an affiliate of Toa Domestic Airlines, later known as Japan Air System

Japan Air System

was the smallest of the big three Japanese airlines, headquartered in the JAS M1 Building at Tokyo International Airport in Ōta, Tokyo. In contrast to JAL and ANA, its international route network was very small, but its domestic network incorporated many smaller airports that were not served by...

. In the 1990s JAC had its headquarters in the Kagoshima Airport

Kagoshima Airport

-External links:* *...

 Building Annex in Mizobe

Mizobe, Kagoshima

Mizobe was a town located in Aira District, Kagoshima, Japan.On November 7, 2005 Mizobe was merged with the towns of Kirishima , Fukuyama, Hayato, Makizono and Yokogawa, all from Aira District, and the old city of Kokubu, to form the new city of Kirishima and no longer exists as an independent...

, Aira District

Aira District, Kagoshima

is a district located in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The current population is 11,420.-History:*April 1, 1889 - Due to the municipal status enforcement, the villages of Chōsa, Kajiki, Gamo, Mizobe, Shigetomi and Yamada were created within Aira District...

, Kagoshima Prefecture

Kagoshima Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Kagoshima.- Geography :Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu and includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest for a few hundred kilometers...

.

Japan Air System later merged into Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines

is 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...

. Japan Air Commuter has 471 employees (at March 2007) and is owned by Japan Airlines (60%) and 14 local municipalities of the Amami Islands

Amami Islands

The are a group of islands that is part of the Satsunan Islands, which are then part of the Nansei Islands. The islands are part of Kagoshima Prefecture, in the Kyūshū region of Japan...

 and Kagoshima (40%).

Due to the restructuring plan of Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines

is 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...

, Arata Yasujima was promoted to president of Japan Air Commuter on February 1, 2010. Yasujima replaces Masaru Onishi, who was promoted to president of JAL.

Destinations

Amami Islands

Amami Islands

The are a group of islands that is part of the Satsunan Islands, which are then part of the Nansei Islands. The islands are part of Kagoshima Prefecture, in the Kyūshū region of Japan...

• Kagoshima Prefecture
  Kagoshima Prefecture
  is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Kagoshima.- Geography :Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu and includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest for a few hundred kilometers...
  
  
  • Amami
    Amami, Kagoshima
    is a city located on Amami Ōshima in Kagoshima, Japan.The city was formed on March 20, 2006 from the merger of the old city of Naze with the town of Kasari, and the village of Sumiyō, both from Ōshima District....
    
     on Amami Ōshima
    Amami Oshima
    is a semi-tropical island in the Amami Islands, which is part of the larger Nansei Islands in Japan. Ōshima literally means big island, and it is the largest of the Amami Islands. It lies roughly halfway between the islands of Okinawa and Kyūshū. Briefly part of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, in 1624 it was...
    
     (Amami Airport)
  • Kikai
    Kikai, Kagoshima
    is a town located in Ōshima District, Kagoshima, Japan.As of 2008, the town had an estimated population of 8,207 and the density of 144 persons per km². The total area is 56.94 km².Kikai Airport is located in the town....
    
     (Kikai Airport
    Kikai Airport
    , also known as Kikaijima Airport or Kikaiga Shima Airport, is located in Kikai, a town on Kikai Island , one of the Amami Islands in the Kagoshima Prefecture of Japan....
    
    )
  • Tanegashima
    Tanegashima
    is an island lying to the south of Kyushu, in southern Japan, and is part of Kagoshima Prefecture. The island is the second largest of the Ōsumi Islands....
    
     (New Tanegashima Airport
    New Tanegashima Airport
    , also known as Tanegashima Airport, is located on Tanegashima, one of the Osumi Islands in the Kagoshima Prefecture of Japan.- Airlines and destinations :...
    
    )
  • Tokunoshima
    Tokunoshima
    is an island in the Amami Islands of southwestern Japan. Administatively it belongs to Kagoshima Prefecture. Three towns are located on the island: Tokunoshima, Isen, and Amagi...
    
     (Tokunoshima Airport
    Tokunoshima Airport
    is an airport in Amagi, Ōshima District, Kagoshima Prefecture of Japan.Government of Japan is considering that this airport is used as a part of US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma's new address.-Airlines and destinations:-External links:...
    
    )
  • Wadomari
    Wadomari, Kagoshima
    is a town located in Ōshima District, Kagoshima, Japan.As of 2008, the town has an estimated population of 7,159 and the density of 177 persons per km². The total area is 40.37 km²....
    
     (Okinoerabu Airport
    Okinoerabu Airport
    is located on Okinoerabujima in Wadomari, Ōshima District, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.-Airlines:-External links:* Japan Airlines...
    
    )
  • Yakushima
    Yakushima
    , one of the Ōsumi Islands, is an island of about 500 km² and roughly 15,000 islanders to the south of Kyūshū in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The Vincennes Strait separates it from Tanegashima. The highest point on the island is Miyanoura-dake at 1,935 metres...
    
     (Yakushima Airport
    Yakushima Airport
    is located on Yakushima in Yakushima, Kumage District, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.-Airlines and destinations:-External links:* Japan Airlines...
    
    )
  • Yoron
    Yoron, Kagoshima
    is a town located in Ōshima District, Kagoshima, Japan. The town is on the island of Yoronjima.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 5,866 and the density of 286.29 persons per km². The total area is 20.49 km²....
    
     on Yoronjima
    Yoronjima
    is one of the Amami Islands of Japan. Yoron lies 22 km north of Hedo Point, the northernmost point on Okinawa Island. Situated along the line between the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean, it is the southernmost island in Kagoshima Prefecture. It is also informally known as...
    
     (Yoron Airport
    Yoron Airport
    is a third-class airport that serves travelers to and from Yoronjima in Kagoshima Prefecture of Japan.-Airlines and destinations:-External links:* from Japan Airlines...
    
    )

Honshu

Honshu

is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...

• Chūbu region
  Chubu region
  The is the central region of Honshū, Japan's main island. Chūbu has a population estimate of 21,886,324 as of 2008.Chūbu, which means "central region", encompasses nine prefectures : Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, Yamanashi, and often Mie.It is located directly...
  
  
  • Nagano Prefecture
    Nagano Prefecture
    is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.- History :Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano...
    
    
    • Matsumoto
      Matsumoto, Nagano
      is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Matsumoto is designated as a Special City.-Outline:The new city of Matsumoto is the city comprising the mergers of the old city of Matsumoto and four villages. Matsumoto officially absorbed those villages without creating a new municipal...
      
       (Matsumoto Airport
      Matsumoto Airport
      Matsumoto Airport , also known as Shinshu-Matsumoto Airport, is an airport located southwest of Matsumoto, a city in the Nagano Prefecture of Japan.-Airlines and destinations:-External links:** from Nagano Prefecture* from Japan Airlines...
      
      )
  • Niigata Prefecture
    Niigata Prefecture
    is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...
    
    
    • Niigata
      Niigata, Niigata
      is the capital and the most populous city of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It lies on the northwest coast of Honshu, the largest island of Japan, and faces the Sea of Japan and Sado Island....
      
       (Niigata Airport
      Niigata Airport
      is a second class airport located northeast of Niigata Station in Niigata, Japan.-Airlines and destinations:The following destinations are served from Niigata :-External links:*...
      
      )
• Chūgoku region
  Chugoku region
  The , also known as the , is the westernmost region of Honshū, the largest island of Japan. It consists of the prefectures of Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori and Yamaguchi. It has a population of about 7.8 million.- History :...
  
  
  • Hiroshima Prefecture
    Hiroshima Prefecture
    is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Hiroshima.- History :The area around Hiroshima was formerly divided into Bingo Province and Aki Province. This location has been a center of trade and culture since the beginning of Japan's recorded...
    
    
    • Hiroshima
      Hiroshima
      is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
      
       (Hiroshima-Nishi Airport
      Hiroshima-Nishi Airport
      is an airport in Nishi Ward, located southwest of Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.-History:Hiroshima's first airport opened in Naka-ku, Hiroshima in 1940, but was destroyed during the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945...
      
      )
  • Okayama Prefecture
    Okayama Prefecture
    is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Okayama.- History :During the Meiji Restoration, the area of Okayama Prefecture was known as Bitchū Province, Bizen Province and Mimasaka Province.- Geography :...
    
    
    • Okayama (Okayama Airport
      Okayama Airport
      is an airport in Okayama Prefecture, Japan.It is located northwest of central Okayama City and northwest or 30 minutes by bus from Okayama Station. It is about 10 minutes from the Okayama interchange, Sanyo Expressway.-Airlines and destinations:...
      
      )
  • Shimane Prefecture
    Shimane Prefecture
    is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is Matsue. It is the second least populous prefecture in Japan, after its eastern neighbor Tottori. The prefecture has an area elongated from east to west facing the Chūgoku Mountain Range on the south side and to...
    
    
    • Izumo
      Izumo, Shimane
      is a city located in Shimane, Japan. Izumo is known for Izumo soba noodles and the Izumo Taisha Shinto shrine.-Demographics:The modern city was founded on November 3, 1941....
      
       (Izumo Airport
      Izumo Airport
      is an airport in the Hikawa area of Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, Japan, about 20–30 minutes by car from central Izumo or Matsue city centre.This airport is also known as Izumo En-Musubi Airport「出雲縁結び空港」; meaning Izumo Airport of Romantic Fate....
      
      )
    • Okinoshima
      Okinoshima, Shimane
      is a town located on Dōgo, one of the Oki Islands, in Shimane, Japan.Japan considers the disputed Liancourt Rocks to be a part of Okinoshima.As of January 2008, the town has an estimated population of 16,214. The total area is 242.97 km²....
      
       (Oki Airport
      Oki Airport
      is an airport on Dōgo, one of the Oki Islands in the Shimane Prefecture of Japan. It is located in Okinoshima, the most populous town on these islands....
      
      )
• Kansai region
  • Hyogo Prefecture
    Hyogo Prefecture
    is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...
    
    
    • Toyooka
      Toyooka, Hyogo
      is a city located in the northern part of Hyōgo, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 90,443 and a density of 125 persons per km²...
      
       (Tajima Airport
      Tajima Airport
      , also known as is an airport southwest of Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.-Airlines:-External links:* from Japan Airlines*...
      
      )
  • Osaka Prefecture
    Osaka Prefecture
    is a prefecture located in the Kansai region on Honshū, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area.- History :...
    
    
    • Osaka
      Osaka
      is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
      
       (Osaka International Airport
      Osaka International Airport
      or Osaka-Itami International Airport is the primary domestic airport for the Kansai region of Japan, including the major cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. It is classified as a first class airport....
      
      , partially in Hyogo Prefecture)
• Tōhoku region
  Tohoku region
  The is a geographical area of Japan. The region occupies the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region consists of six prefectures : Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata....
  
  
  • Fukushima Prefecture
    Fukushima Prefecture
    is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Fukushima.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Fukushima prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
    
    
    • Fukushima
      Fukushima, Fukushima
      is the capital city of Fukushima Prefecture in the Tōhoku Region of Japan. As of May 2011 the city has an estimated population of 290,064 and an area of 746.43 km².It lies about 250 km north of Tokyo and 80 km south of Sendai.-History:...
      
       (Fukushima Airport
      Fukushima Airport
      , is an airport serving Sukagawa, a city in the Fukushima Prefecture of Japan. The airport is located southeast of Kōriyama Station in Kōriyama.A popular TV drama, Crying Out Love, In the Center of the World, was filmed there.-Airlines and destinations:...
      
      )

Kyūshū

Kyushu

is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....

• Fukuoka Prefecture
  Fukuoka Prefecture
  is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.- History :Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen....
  
  
  • Fukuoka
    Fukuoka, Fukuoka
    is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...
    
     (Fukuoka Airport
    Fukuoka Airport
    , formerly known as Itazuke Air Base, is an international and domestic airport located east of Hakata Station in Fukuoka, Japan. It is officially designated a second class airport. It is operating at full capacity, and cannot be further expanded. Flights stop at 10 p.m...
    
    )
• Kagoshima Prefecture
  Kagoshima Prefecture
  is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Kagoshima.- Geography :Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu and includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest for a few hundred kilometers...
  
  
  • Kagoshima
    Kagoshima, Kagoshima
    is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture at the southwestern tip of the Kyūshū island of Japan, and the largest city in the prefecture by some margin...
    
     (Kagoshima Airport
    Kagoshima Airport
    -External links:* *...
    
    )
• Miyazaki Prefecture
  Miyazaki Prefecture
  is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Miyazaki.- History :Historically, after the Meiji Restoration, Hyūga Province was renamed Miyazaki Prefecture....
  
  
  • Miyazaki
    Miyazaki, Miyazaki
    is the capital city of Miyazaki Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū in Japan. Located on the coast and perforated by several rivers, Miyazaki City enjoys scenic views of both ocean and nearby, verdant mountains...
    
     (Miyazaki Airport
    Miyazaki Airport
    Miyazaki Airport is an airport located south southeast of Miyazaki, a city in the Miyazaki Prefecture of Japan.-Airlines and destinations:-Access:The airport is connected to various locations by bus...
    
    )
• Ōita Prefecture
  Oita Prefecture
  is a prefecture of Japan on Kyūshū Island. The prefectural capital is the city of Ōita.- History :Around the 6th century Kyushu consisted of four regions: Tsukushi-no-kuni 筑紫国, Hi-no-kuni 肥国, and Toyo no kuni...
  
  
  • Ōita
    Oita, Oita
    is the capital city of Ōita Prefecture located on the island of Kyushu, Japan.- Demographics and geography :Ōita is the most populous city in Ōita Prefecture...
    
     (Oita Airport
    Oita Airport
    is an airport in Kunisaki, Ōita, Japan, northeast of Ōita.-Airlines and destinations:...
    
    )

Shikoku

Shikoku

is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū and east of the island of Kyūshū. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima...

• Ehime Prefecture
  Ehime Prefecture
  is a prefecture in northwestern Shikoku, Japan. The capital is Matsuyama.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, Ehime prefecture was known as Iyo Province...
  
  
  • Matsuyama
    Matsuyama, Ehime
    is the capital city of Ehime Prefecture on the Shikoku island of Japan. It is located on the northeastern portion of the Dōgo Plain. Its name means "pine mountain." The city was founded on December 15, 1889....
    
     (Matsuyama Airport
    Matsuyama Airport
    -Statistics:...
    
    )
• Kagawa Prefecture
  Kagawa Prefecture
  is a prefecture of Japan located on Shikoku island. The capital is Takamatsu.- History :Kagawa was formerly known as Sanuki Province.For a brief period between August 1876 and December 1888, Kagawa was made a part of Ehime Prefecture.-Battle of Yashima:...
  
  
  • Takamatsu
    Takamatsu, Kagawa
    is a city located in central Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku in Japan, and is the seat of the prefectural government. It is designated a core city by the Japanese Government. It is a port city located on the Seto Inland Sea, and is the closest port to Honshu from Shikoku island...
    
     (Takamatsu Airport
    Takamatsu Airport
    is a second class airport located south southwest of Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan. It handles a very small number of international flights.It is equipped with an Instrument Landing System, VHF Omni-directional Radio Range, Distance Measuring Equipment, Airport Surveillance Radar, approach lights,...
    
    )
• Tokushima Prefecture
  Tokushima Prefecture
  is a prefecture of Japan located on Shikoku island. The capital is the city of Tokushima.- Tokushima Prefecture and Myodo Prefecture :Long ago, Tokushima City belonged to a region known as Myōdō-gun...
  
  
  • Tokushima (Tokushima Airport
    Tokushima Airport
    is an airport in Matsushige, Tokushima, Japan, near the city of Tokushima.In addition to scheduled passenger operations, the airport is the base of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Tokusima Air Training Group of 202 Air Training Squadron equipped with Beechcraft TC-90, and UH-60J Search and...
    
    )

Fleet

As of November 2010 the Japan Air Commuter fleet includes :

• 11 Bombardier Dash 8 Q400
• 11 Saab 340B
  Saab 340
  The Saab 340 is a discontinued Swedish two-engine turboprop aircraft designed and initially produced by a partnership between Saab and Fairchild Aircraft in a 65:35 ratio...
  
  

Previously operated

• Dornier 228 (1983-1995)
• NAMC YS-11A-500
  NAMC YS-11
  The NAMC YS-11 is a turboprop airliner built by a Japanese consortium, the Nihon Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation. The program was initiated by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in 1954, the aircraft was rolled out in 1962, and production ceased in 1974.-Development and design:In...
  
  (1988-2006)

External links

• Japan Air Commuter (Japanese)