Kikai Airport (喜界空港, Kikai Kūkō) (IATA: KKX, ICAO: RJKI), also known as Kikaijima Airport[2] or Kikaiga Shima Airport,[3] is located in Kikai, a town on Kikaijima (also known as Kikai Island, Kikaishima, Kikaigashima, etc.), one of the Amami Islands in the Kagoshima Prefecture of Japan.
Kikai Airport Kikai/Kikaigashima Island Airport 喜界空港 Kikai Kūkō | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Government | ||||||||||
| Location | Kikai, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 15 ft / 5 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 28°19′17″N 129°55′41″E / 28.32139°N 129.92806°E | ||||||||||
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  RJKI Location in Japan  RJKI RJKI (Japan) | |||||||||||
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Source: Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism[1] | |||||||||||
History edit
An airstrip was opened on the island of Kikaijima in 1931 by the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was attacked by the United States Navy repeatedly during the Battle of Okinawa in the final stages of World War II. One of the pilots on these raids was Samuel Hynes, later a well-known author and university professor. He flew a single-engine Avenger aircraft.[4] In May 1968, the old airstrip was re-opened for commercial use with a 1200-meter runway. The airport was closed from August to December 1968 to permit strengthening of the runway. In April 1971, it was designated as a third-class airport by the Japanese government.
Airlines and destinations edit
| Airlines | Destinations |
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| Japan Air Commuter | Amami Ōshima, Kagoshima |
References edit
- ^ "Kikai Airport" (PDF). Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- ^ Kikaijima Airport guide from Japan Airlines
- ^ Kikaiga Shima Airport at Aviation Safety Network
- ^ Hynes, Samuel (1988). Flights of Passage. US Naval Inst. 1988 p. 241.
External links edit
Media related to Kikai Airport at Wikimedia Commons