, or JTA, is an

airline An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in wh ...

based in Naha,

Okinawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest cit ...

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 n ...

. It operates domestic services on behalf of

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 ...

. Its main base is Naha Airport. From 1967 until 1993, the airline was known as ''Southwest Air Lines''.

History

The airline was established on 20 June 1967 as , and started operations in July 1967. It changed its name in July 1993. It has 718 employees (at March 2014) and is owned by

(51.1%), Naha Airport Terminal (17%), Okinawa Prefecture (12.9%) and others (19.1%) It flew

Convair 240 The Convair CV-240 is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization, the 240 series made some inro ...

s until new capital from JAL allowed it to upgrade to NAMC YS-11s, and eventually

Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton Factory in Washington (state), Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the Boeing 707, 7 ...

s. JTA occasionally lends aircraft to JAL in the event of equipment failure. JTA also provides maintenance services for JAL Group Boeing 737-400 aircraft. JTA owns 72.9% of

Ryukyu Air Commuter is an airline headquartered in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It operates domestic passenger services from the island of Okinawa to other islands of Okinawa Prefecture and the Amami Islands The The name ''Amami-guntō'' was standardized ...

. At one time the head office of Southwest Air Lines was at ''306-1 Kagamizu'' in Naha.

Destinations

JTA serves the following destinations:

Fleet

Current fleet

The Japan Transocean Air fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of February 2019):

Former fleet

Boeing 737-200 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton Factory in Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating with two u ...

" '' Airliners.net'' * Boeing 737-400 *

Boeing 767-200 The Boeing 767 is an American wide-body aircraft developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The aircraft was launched as the 7X7 program on July 14, 1978, the prototype first flew on September 26, 1981, and it was certified on ...

" '' Airliners.net'' * NAMC YS-11

Accidents and incidents

Since the airline's foundation, there has only been one accident which was under the former Southwest Air Lines brand. * On 26 August 1982, Southwest Air Lines Flight 611, a Boeing 737-2Q3, registration JA8444, overran the runway at

Ishigaki Airport , was a third-class airport located from Ishigaki city centre in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The airport provided flights to major cities on the Japanese mainland as well as destinations throughout Okinawa Prefecture and the Yaeyama Islands. ...

and was destroyed. None of the 138 passengers and crew were killed but some were injured during the emergency evacuation.

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control Regional airlines of Japan Japan Airlines Oneworld affiliate members Airlines established in 1967 Transport in Okinawa Prefecture 1967 establishments in Okinawa Japanese companies established in 1967