Yao Airport (八尾空港) is a general aviation airport in Yao, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Located 8.1 NM southeast of Ōsaka Station, it is also a home for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Middle Army Aviation Group, Osaka Prefectural Police Aviation Corps, and Osaka Municipal Fire Department Helicopter Unit. Several small carriers, including Asahi Airlines and Hankyu Airlines, offer sightseeing and charter flights from Yao. Yao is the only Regional/Second Class airport in Japan without scheduled airline services.

History

The airport started as Hanshin Aviation School in 1938. Two years later, the airfield was seized by the army as the Taishō Airfield and expanded. After World War II, the occupation forces called it the Hanshin Airfield before it was returned to Japanese control.

Operations

Self-Defense Forces

The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force operates a base at the airport, JGSDF Camp Yao (八尾駐屯地). Units based at Camp Yao include:

Osaka Prefecture

The Osaka Prefectural Police Aviation Corps operates Bell 206 LongRanger, Bell 412 EP, Eurocopter EC135 P1 and P3, and two AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters from Yao.

Osaka City

The Osaka Municipal Fire Department operates two Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin helicopters from Yao. They are primarily used for firefighting within the city of Osaka but were dispatched overseas to assist with the 1991 Bangladesh cyclone and the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.