Shimojishima Airport
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Shimojishima Airport 下地島空港 Shimojishima Kūkō |
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| Airport type | Public / Dual-use | ||||||||||
| Operator | Okinawa Prefecture | ||||||||||
| Location | Shimojishima, Miyakojima, Okinawa, Japan | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 25 ft / 8 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 24°49′36″N 125°08′41″E / 24.82667°N 125.14472°ECoordinates: 24°49′36″N 125°08′41″E / 24.82667°N 125.14472°E | ||||||||||
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Shimojishima Airport (下地島空港 Shimojishima Kūkō?, (IATA: SHI, ICAO: RORS)) is located on the island of Shimojishima in Miyakojima, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.
The airport, also known as Shimoji Airport, was originally built as a 'training airport' for commercial pilots, with a secondary role as a (planned) alternative landing site for intercontinental supersonic airliners. It was completed in 1971, a year before Okinawa reverted to Japanese control. It was officially opened in July 1973, initially as a private airport.
The prefecture operates the airport, which has been classified as a Third Class airport (otherwise known as a Type-3) since May 1979.
On July 22, 1994 Japan Transocean Air suspended flights.
From 2001 onwards, the U.S. Marine Corps occasionally used the airport as a stopover point for helicopters and tanker aircraft involved in regional exercises.
In 2004, there were some protests over the use of the airport as a refueling stop by USMC helicopters returning from an exercise in the Philippines. Adding to concerns were reports that the airport was being looked at in connection with a new base for units that were to be displaced by the planned relocation of the Futenma base. The airport is currently listed as a CSL (Cooperative Security Location) by the US DOD.
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