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

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

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. Initially, it was built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond l ...

. 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 regional airport for the Kansai region of Japan, including the major cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe. Classified as a first class airport, it is the airport closest to Kyoto, southwest of Kyoto Station. ...

; 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 (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

Haneda Airport , officially , and sometimes called as Tokyo Haneda Airport or Haneda International Airport , is one of two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Narita International Airport (NRT). It serves as the primary ...

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 , also known as ANA (''Ē-enu-ē'') or is an airline in Japan. Its headquarters are located in Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area of Minato ward of Tokyo. It operates services to both domestic and international destinations and had mo ...

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 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 runway with civil activities. ...

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 * ''T ...

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 , also known as JAL (''Jaru'') or , is an international airline and Japan's flag carrier and largest airline as of 2021 and 2022, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport, as w ...

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