Iheya Contact Airfield

Economic reasons. The air service operated by Air Dolphin was not commercially viable due to poor financial performance and an insufficient number of passengers to sustain the route. The ferry service to the main island of Okinawa remained the more practical and affordable transportation method for residents and visitors, rendering the air link unprofitable.

The site is no longer used for aviation. While the faint outline of the runway is still visible from satellite imagery, it is degraded and partially overgrown. A significant portion of the southern half of the former runway and its surrounding area has been repurposed and is now occupied by the Iheya Village Solar Power Plant (伊平屋村営太陽光発電所). The remaining abandoned runway space is occasionally used by local residents for recreational activities.

Opened in July 1983, Iheya Contact Airfield was a small, local airfield officially designated as a 'jōgai richakuriku-jō' (場外離着陸場), or an 'off-field landing and takeoff site'. Its purpose was to connect the remote island of Iheya with Okinawa's capital. The commuter airline Air Dolphin (エアードルフィン) was the exclusive operator, flying a single route between Iheya and Naha Airport. Operations were conducted using a small, 9-passenger Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander aircraft, with a flight time of about 25 minutes. The airport's history was brief, as it was operational for less than three years before its closure.

There are no known plans or credible prospects for reopening the airfield. The construction of a permanent solar power installation directly on the former runway presents a major obstacle to any potential reactivation. Given the historical economic failure of the air service and the established ferry link, there is no apparent political or commercial interest in re-establishing an airport on the island.