is a third class airport located in the town of Shirahama, Wakayama, Japan. It serves the southern part of the

Kii Peninsula The is the largest peninsula on the island of Honshū in Japan and is located within the Kansai region. It is named after the ancient Kii Province. The peninsula has long been a sacred place in Buddhism, Shinto, and Shugendo, and many people wou ...

with three daily

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 ...

round-trips to Tokyo International Airport.

History

Nanki–Shirahama Airport is located in a hilly area about 1.5 kilometers southeast of the center of Shirahama Town, and was established by the Wakayama Prefectural government. It is the only airport in Wakayama prefecture and the southernmost airport in

Honshu , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...

.The airport opened in April 1968 with a 1200 meter runway. Flights connecting Tokyo, Osaka (Itami) and Nagoya were opened, but subsequently the Osaka and Nagoya flights withdrew. An 1800 meter runway on the eastern adjacent land was completed on March 9, 1996 with the aim of upgrading the capability of the airport to handle jet aircraft. This runway was later extended to 2000 meters. The airport is located about 65 kilometers south-southeast of the city of

Wakayama Wakayama may refer to: * Wakayama Prefecture, a prefecture of Japan * Wakayama (city), the capital city of Wakayama Prefecture, Japan * Wakayama Station, a train station in Wakayama, Wakayama * Wakayama University, a national university in Wakayama, ...

, which is the administrative and economic center of the prefecture. However,

Kansai International Airport Kansai International Airport (), commonly known as Kankū (; ), is the primary international airport in the Keihanshin, Greater Osaka Area of Japan and the closest international airport to the cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. It is located on ...

, which opened in 1994 is located closer, which had resulted in Nanki-Shirahama Airport being used mostly by tourists visiting

Nanki-Shirahama Onsen is a hot spring resort in the town of Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. See also * Three Ancient Springs External links Shirahama Ryokan Tourist attractions in Wakayama Prefecture Hot springs of Wakayama Prefecture Spa towns in Japan ...

and locations further south. The airport is operated by Nanki-Shirahama Airport, Inc., a special purpose company established by Industrial Growth Platform, Inc. and others, from April 1, 2019.

Airlines and destinations

References

External links

Nanki–Shirahama Airport
in Japanese Airports in Kansai region Transport buildings and structures in Wakayama Prefecture Shirahama, Wakayama Airports established in 1968 1968 establishments in Japan {{wakayama-geo-stub