Inba Airfield

The primary reason for closure was airspace safety. A new RNAV (Area Navigation) GPS-based instrument approach procedure was established for Runway 16R at the nearby Narita International Airport (NRT). This new flight path passed directly over Inba Airfield at a relatively low altitude. The continued operation of light aircraft, ultralights, and gliders from Inba would have created a severe and unacceptable risk of conflict with commercial airliners on final approach to one of Japan's busiest international airports. The closure was a necessary measure to ensure the safety of operations at Narita.

The site of the former airfield has been completely redeveloped. Shortly after its closure, construction began on a large-scale solar power generation facility. The land is now occupied by the 'Inzai Sakurano Mega Solar Power Plant'. All aviation infrastructure, including hangars and runway markers, has been removed, and the area is covered by thousands of solar panels. The faint outline of the former runway is no longer clearly visible.

Opened around 1989, Inba Airfield (also known as Skyport Inba / スカイポート印旛) was a crucial hub for the general and recreational aviation community in the greater Tokyo area. It was not a commercial airport but a privately operated facility primarily serving ultralight aircraft, motor gliders, and other light sport aircraft. It featured a single unpaved runway approximately 500-600 meters long. For nearly three decades, it provided a rare and accessible venue for flight training, hobby flying, and aviation club activities in a region with otherwise highly restricted airspace. The identifier JP-1548 is not an official ICAO code (which start with 'RJ' for this region of Japan) but was likely used in non-official databases or flight simulator software.

There are zero plans or prospects for reopening Inba Airfield. The two main barriers are insurmountable: 1) The critical airspace conflict with Narita International Airport's approach path is permanent. 2) The land has been repurposed for long-term industrial use with the construction of a major solar farm, making any conversion back to an airfield economically and logistically infeasible.