Akita Airport was originally opened on October 1, 1961, on the Omonogawa coast of the Sea of Japan approximately 20 kilometers southeast of the center of Akita City.

The airport originally had a 1,200-meter runway, which was extended to 1,500 meters in 1967 and 1,625 meters in 1969, but was adversely affected by crosswinds, and by the television transmission antennas of 123-meter Mount Omoriyama adjacent to the site.

In 1985, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force established a search and rescue unit based at Akita Airport.

[3] An international terminal was established on July 5, 1993, beginning scheduled flights to South Korea.

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