Ibusuki Airfield

Economic failure. The airport was privately owned and operated by a company named Ibusuki Kōkū Co., Ltd. (指宿航空). The company's primary business of sightseeing flights was not financially sustainable, leading to its bankruptcy and the subsequent closure of the airfield.

The site has been completely redeveloped and is now home to the Ibusuki Mega Solar Power Plant (指宿メガソーラー発電所). This large-scale photovoltaic power station, which began operations in November 2013, is operated by a consortium including Kyocera. While the land is now covered in thousands of solar panels, the distinct outline of the former runway is still clearly visible from satellite imagery.

Opened in 1964, Ibusuki Airfield (also known as Ibusuki Makurazaki Airfield) was a non-public aerodrome (場外離着陸場 - jōgai richakuriku-jō) dedicated to general aviation and tourism. Its main purpose was to provide sightseeing flights for tourists visiting the popular Ibusuki hot springs resort area. Operations primarily consisted of small propeller aircraft, such as the Cessna 172, offering aerial tours of prominent local landmarks including the Kaimondake volcano, Lake Ikeda, and the scenic coastline of the Satsuma Peninsula. It did not handle any scheduled commercial airline services.

None. The site has been permanently and completely repurposed for large-scale renewable energy generation. There are no known plans, discussions, or prospects for reopening the airfield, as this would require the removal of a major power plant and would be economically and logistically unfeasible.