Shimojishima Airport 2.7

Shimojishima Airport 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. As of 2005, the airport was in use as a training facility for Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways. The long runway makes the facility well-suited for "touch-and-go landing" practice maneuvers. In the same year, the then local (Irabu Town) assembly submitted a proposal to the then Defense Agency, requesting that the JASDF take over the airport as one of their bases.