Yonaguni Airport

Airport Profile

Yonaguni Airport was constructed by the Imperial Japanese Army in June 1943. In August 1957, private airlines began operating from the airport. The runway was extended in April 1958 and then paved with asphalt emulsion in September 1968. YS11 aircraft began operating from the airport in December of the same year.
The airport’s approach direction was found to be against the Aviation Law, which became applicable along with Okinawa’s reversion to Japanese administration in 1972. It was therefore operated as if the runway were shorter than its actual size, and resumed service with an 800m-long runway in March 1975.
The airport was then upgraded in accordance with passenger demand for larger aircraft and resumed service as a tentative jet airport with a 1,500m-long runway with strengthened paving structure in July 1999.
A project to extend the runway from 1,500m to 2,000m was launched in 2001 and resumed service with an 2,000m-long runway in March 2007.

Specifics of the Airport

Item	Description
Classification	Local airport
Administrative body	Government of Okinawa prefecture
Location	Yeyama-gun,Yonaguni-cyo,Okinawa Prefecture
Reference point	24⁰28'03"N, 122⁰58'47"E
Elevation	15.0m
Site area	582,411m²
Runway strip	length:2,120m width:150m, Class C
Runway	length:2,000m width:45m N75⁰16'27"
Taxiway	length:80m width:23m
Apron	10,200m², 2berths for propeller-type aircrft
Lighting facilities	SALS,RAI,ABN,PAPI,REDL,RWYTIL,RCLL,TEDL,WDIL,etc.
Aeronautical aid facilities	VOR/DME、ILS(LLZ)、T-DME
Servicehours	08:00through19:30(11.5hours)

History

1943/ 6	Constructed by the prewar Japanese Navy
1957/ 8	Operation of civil aviation started
1972/11/14	Notice for current status report on the Yonaguni airfield was issued(runway 1,232m)
1973/ 1/25	Permission for the establishment of Yonaguni Airport was granted (runway 800m, body of establishment: Government of Okinawa Prefecture)
1973/ 2/27	Appointed as Third class airport by the Cabinet Ordinance
1975/ 3/15	Commercial services commenced (runway 800m)
1981/11/21	Application for facilities alteraion was granted.(runway extension from 800m to 1,500m)
1987/ 2/12	Commercial services commenced (runway 1,500m)
1997/ 5/29	Application for facilities alteraion was granted.(reformation into a provisional jet-accommodating airport)
1999/ 7/15	Commercial services commenced (provisional jet-accommodating airport)
2002/12/20	Application for facilities alteraion was granted.(runway extension from 1,500m to 2,000m)
2007/ 3/15	Commercial services commenced (runway 2,000m)
2008/ 6/18	Appointed as Local airport by the Cabinet Ordinance

Results