The Southernmost International Airport of Japan
The name of the airport in the city of Ishigaki is Painushima Ishigaki Airport (南ぬ島石垣空港 in Japanese). PAINUSHIMA is a local dialect which describes the meaning of a southern island, so the name depicts an airport located in a southern island.
Access to the airport being upgraded
Painushima Ishigaki Airport is located in the east part of the island and about 15 kilometer (9 miles) away from the city center. The way to access the place from downtown will be by a taxi, a public bus or a rental car/bike. A new road bypassing residential areas of the east part of the city via farm lands is now under construction, though some part has been made public last year.
Popular Tourist Destination
Since its opening in 2014, Painushima Ishigaki Airport has attracted many tourists from all over Japan, from abroad as well. Over one million tourists arrived at the airport every year since 2014 except 2021 in which the number of tourists dropped more than half due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Popular among the citizens of the city
Painushima Ishigaki Airport is the popular destination for the citizens of the city as well. There are shops and restaurants in the domestic terminal building. The world famous coffee shop Starbucks has also its Ishigaki branch in the building.
