, also known as is an airport southwestAIS Japan
of Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture,

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

History

The airport was built during the bubble economy to service the long-distance transport needs of northern Hyogo since this area lacked a motorway and

shinkansen The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. It was initially built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond lon ...

. The airport started construction in the late 80s and was finished in 1994, right as Japan's economic crisis was getting into full swing. As such the airport has never managed to attain the predicted passenger numbers and is heavily subsidised by the prefectural government. The airport's only scheduled service is to

Osaka International Airport , often referred to as , is the primary domestic airport for the Kansai region of Japan, including its major cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. It is the airport closest to Osaka, being 11 km (7 mi) north of Ōsaka Station, Osaka Stati ...

; as of the summer 2013 timetable, there are two round trips per day. The flight competes with the more frequent '' Kounotori'' limited express train for passenger traffic between northern Hyogo and Osaka, and thus mainly attracts connecting traffic from other Japanese cities. Total travel time between Tajima and

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Haneda Airport , also known as and sometimes abbreviated to ''Tokyo-Haneda'', is the busier of the two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Narita International Airport (NRT). It serves as the primary domestic base of J ...

is from 2 hours 5 minutes to 2 hours 40 minutes, including a 20 to 50 minute connection in Osaka. The government of Hyogo Prefecture lobbied

All Nippon Airways (ANA) is a Japanese airline headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. ANA operates services to both domestic and international destinations and is Japan's largest airline, ahead of its main rival flag carrier Japan Airlines. the airline has approximate ...

for the opening of nonstop service from Tajima to Haneda when additional slots were opened at Haneda in 2011. Various local authorities provide subsidies of up to 6,000 yen for Tajima Airport area residents who take the flight.

Accidents and incidents

* On July 20, 2009, a helicopter traveling from

Yonago Airport Miho Airbase (美保飛行場) , also known as Yonago Airport and Yonago Kitaro Airport is a Japan Air Defense Force (JASDF) base located 11 km northwest of Yonago in Tottori Prefecture. It is owned and operated by JASDF and shares the run ...

to Tajima Airport lost visibility in the midst of a sudden

rainy season The rainy season is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Rainy Season may also refer to: * ''Rainy Season'' (short story), a 1989 short horror story by Stephen King * "Rainy Season", a 2018 song by Monni * '' ...

storm and crashed into a mountain near Tajima Airport, killing the pilot. The crash was ruled to be pilot error in miscalculating the weather en route. * On July 21, 2013, a small private aircraft overran the runway while landing at Tajima, breaking through a guard rail and crashing into a wooded area nearby. The three occupants were slightly injured and the airport was temporarily closed.

Airlines and destinations

References

External links

Konotori-Tajima Airport guide
from ''

Japan Airlines Japan Airlines (JAL) is the flag carrier airline of Japan. JAL is headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport, Narita and Haneda Airport, Haneda airports, as well as secondary hubs in Osaka's Kansai ...

''
Tajima Airport
* * Airports in Kansai region Transport buildings and structures in Hyōgo Prefecture Toyooka, Hyōgo {{Japan-airport-stub