Naha Airport (OKA): Airlines, Monorail Link and Getting to Your Hotel

Step out of the cabin on Okinawa and the first thing you notice is how close the whole island feels, a gateway that never really sleeps. Naha Airport is the front door to the subtropical island, and it is where almost every trip to Okinawa begins. It is a public and military airport that takes domestic flights from across Japan and a set of international routes around Asia.

What is Naha Airport?

Naha Airport, code OKA, is the main airport of Okinawa, a public and military airfield owned and operated by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. That single fact explains the scale of the place: nearly everyone who comes to Okinawa passes through it.

The airport operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Behind the passenger side, All Nippon Airways runs an overnight cargo hub, receiving inbound freighter flights between 1 and 4 a.m. and sending return flights between 4 and 6 a.m. So the airfield keeps working while the terminal is quiet. A second runway began operation on March 26, 2020, and in Skytrax’s World Top Airports 100 in 2024 Naha Airport is ranked 91st in the world.

Inside the terminal

Check-in for flights takes place in the 3rd floor lobby. After the security checkpoint, the duty-free DFS stores sit in the departure concourse, a natural place to spend leftover time before boarding. If you need cash, ATMs are located in the domestic area 2nd floor departure lobby and in the international area 1st floor arrivals lobby.

The FamilyMart on the 2nd floor of the domestic area offers copy and FAX transmission services, handy for a last-minute printout or a document to send. The terminal also accepts opinions and requests through suggestion boxes installed at seven locations within the airport, so a complaint or a compliment has somewhere to go.

Traveling with small children

Strollers and car chairs are available free of charge on each airline at the 3rd floor check-in lobby, which helps if you are moving a family through the building. For a longer stay, strollers and car chairs for multi-day use in Okinawa can be rented with a surcharge at the 1st floor barrier-free tour center.

Both options mean you can land with a toddler and leave the heavy gear at home. Ask at the airline counter for the free loan, and at the tour center if you want the equipment for the whole trip.

How Okinawa fits among Japan’s airports

Japan has airports of every kind. Haneda is the airport of Tokyo city and now receives international flights directly into the heart of the capital, while Narita is the other airport serving Tokyo, with international and domestic routes. Kansai International makes it possible to visit Japan without going through Tokyo, and Nagoya’s Centrair is the hub for flights to and from cities in Asia and Japan.

Most Japanese prefectures have at least one airport, and low-cost carriers make it possible to reach almost anywhere in the country at a reasonable price. Naha is the island’s answer to that network, and the one that carries you to the Ryukyu Islands.

Which airlines fly there?

Several Japanese carriers and a few Asian airlines serve Naha, with the domestic network doing most of the work. Naha is the hub for Japan Transocean Air and Ryukyu Air Commuter, the two companies tied most closely to the islands. The airport also handles scheduled international traffic to Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and mainland China.

Flights from the Japanese mainland

All Nippon Airways flies nonstop from Naha to Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Iwakuni, Matsuyama, Miyako, Osaka-Itami, Sendai and Tokyo-Haneda. Japan Airlines flies nonstop from Naha to Osaka-Itami and Tokyo-Haneda. ANA Wings adds Fukuoka, Ishigaki, Iwakuni, Kumamoto, Matsuyama, Miyako and Nagoya-Centrair.

The longest domestic scheduled flight in Japan is the daily route between New Chitose and Naha, operated by Peach Aviation, taking 4 hours. It links Hokkaido, whose main domestic gateway is Chitose Airport in the south of the island, with the subtropical far end of the country.

Island hops from Naha

Naha is also the starting point for smaller flights across the Ryukyu chain. Ryukyu Air Commuter flies nonstop from Naha to Ishigaki, Kitadaito, Kumejima, Minamidaito, Yonaguni and Yoron. Japan Air Commuter flies nonstop from Naha to Amami Ōshima and Okinoerabu.

These routes make it possible to add a second island to a trip without going back through the mainland. Ishigaki, Miyako and Kumejima appear on the departures list, so you can pair Okinawa Island with a smaller one.

International routes

EVA Air flies nonstop from Naha to Taipei-Taoyuan, one of the routes tying Okinawa to Taiwan. Beyond Taiwan, scheduled international traffic runs to Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and mainland China.

How do you get to your hotel?

From Naha Airport you can take the monorail, a bus, a taxi or a rental car, depending on where on the island you are staying. Airports in major Japanese cities are served by express trains, buses and taxis and generally have car rental services, and Naha follows that pattern with its own monorail line in place of a train.

The Yui Rail monorail

Naha Airport is served by the Okinawa Urban Monorail, known as Yui Rail, which runs from Naha Airport Station to the center of Naha and on to Tedako-Uranishi Station in Urasoe. If your hotel is in the city, this is the line that brings you straight into it.

Inside the building, Naha Airport Station can be reached via the communication passage from the domestic area 2nd floor. Follow the signs for the monorail from the arrivals area and head upstairs to the passage, which leads to the station.

Buses to the rest of the island

Bus service from Naha Airport is available to many parts of Okinawa Island. This is the option for resorts and towns that the monorail does not reach, since the rail line stays within Naha and Urasoe. Once you know the name of your hotel or the town where you are staying, look for the bus counter or stop in the arrivals area and match your destination to a route.

Taxis and rental cars

Taxis and car rental services are part of the ground transport around Japanese airports, and Naha has both. A taxi takes you door to door with luggage, which suits a late arrival, and since the airport operates around the clock, you can land at any hour and still find a way into town.

A rental car opens up the island beyond the monorail and bus routes. Plan your pickup around your flight, and remember that the airfield works through the night even when the terminal is calm.

Good to know before you go

Arrivals and departures are on different levels, with check-in on the 3rd floor and the international arrivals lobby on the 1st, so give yourself a moment to find your way. ATMs sit in both the domestic and international areas if you need yen on arrival. Okinawa is a subtropical island, and the airport works around the clock, so a late flight is never a closed door.