Departure
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MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
New Ishigaki Airport (ROIG), also known as Painushima Ishigaki Airport, is a regional gateway on the eastern coast of Ishigaki Island in Japan's Yaeyama Islands, Okinawa Prefecture. Opened in 2013 to replace the old city-centre Ishigaki Airport, it has a single long instrument-equipped runway serving domestic and international jet traffic, making it a notable stop for pilots operating in the far southwest of the Japanese island chain.
New Ishigaki Airport, branded Painushima Ishigaki Airport, is a modern regional airport built on the eastern shore of Ishigaki Island in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It replaced the original Ishigaki Airport, whose short runway and urban surroundings could no longer accommodate larger jet traffic, and now serves as the principal air link for the Yaeyama Islands, including Miyako, Yonaguni, Hateruma and Tarama. For a simulator pilot, it offers a long ILS-equipped runway set against a striking subtropical island backdrop, along with genuine operational history as one of Japan's newer purpose-built regional airports.
The airport lies in the Shiraho district of Ishigaki, on the eastern coast of Ishigaki Island, within Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It sits at coordinates 24.3964 N, 124.245 E, close to the eastern shoreline of the 221 square kilometre island. As the main airport for the Yaeyama Islands group, it functions as a regional hub connecting to Naha (Okinawa), Miyako, Yonaguni, Hateruma and Tarama, as well as to major cities on the Japanese mainland and to international destinations including Taipei, Hong Kong and Seoul.
The airport has a single physical runway, 04/22, measuring 6527 feet (approximately 1990 metres) with a hard surface and runway lighting on both directions. Runway 04 is equipped with an ILS approach; runway 22 is not.
No communications frequencies are recorded for New Ishigaki Airport in available aeronautical data. The airport is instrument-equipped, with an ILS serving runway 04. Pilots should consult current official Japanese AIP or NOTAM sources for radio frequencies and approach procedures before flight.
The airport is readily identified from the air by its position on the eastern coastline of Ishigaki Island, with the runway running close to the shore in the Shiraho district. The island's compact size, at 221 square kilometres, and its position within the Yaeyama group make coastal and shoreline features useful for visual navigation when approaching from over the surrounding sea.
The original Ishigaki Airport was opened in 1943 for military use and converted to civilian operation in 1956; its runway was extended from 1,200 to 1,500 metres in 1968 to allow YS-11 operations. That airport, located about 1 nautical mile from Ishigaki's city centre, became the second busiest third-class airport in Japan as tourism to the Yaeyama Islands grew, but its short runway could not accommodate aircraft larger than a Boeing 737, and urban encroachment prevented expansion. Plans for a replacement airport date back to 1979, envisaging a 2,500 metre runway near the shore of the Shiraho district. Construction of New Ishigaki Airport began in October 2006, and the old airport ceased commercial operations at midnight on 6 March 2013, with the new airport opening the following day, 7 March 2013. The new runway was built to 2,000 metres, with provision for extension to 2,500 metres, and there have been continuing discussions between city and prefectural authorities about extending it further to meet airline demand.
New Ishigaki Airport is an active regional and international airport serving domestic routes to Tokyo (Haneda and Narita), Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka and Naha, along with inter-island services to Miyako, Yonaguni, Hateruma and Tarama, and international routes to Hong Kong, Taipei and Seoul operated by carriers including Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Japan Transocean Air, Peach, Ryukyu Air Commuter and others. The international terminal was substantially enlarged, with a tripling of its size completed in 2022 to address congestion. The airport is operated by Ishigaki Air Terminal Co., Ltd.