Tajima Airport (但馬飛行場), also known as Kounotori Tajima Airport (コウノトリ但馬空港) is an airport 2.6 NM southwest of Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.

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 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; 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 Haneda Airport 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 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

Airlines and destinations