Page "Ishigaki Airport" Paragraph 6

To meet these needs, is under construction on the eastern side of the island.

Plans for the new airport date back to 1979, when the prefectural government planned to build a runway by the shore at Shiraho ( 白保 ).

However, due to concerns about coral, the residents of Shiraho have long opposed the project.

In addition, historical artifacts from the Shiraho Saonetabaru Cave Ruins some 18, 000 to 15, 000 years old have been dug up, impacting the timeline of the project.