Chofu Island Flights Comparison Guide

Short answer

Chofu’s island flights are best compared as four different planning tools, not one generic airport product. Oshima is the shortest and easiest to pair with sea travel, Niijima is the surf-and-light-gear route, Kozushima is the scenic outer-island route, and Miyakejima is the longest and most baggage-sensitive Chofu flight. New Central Airservice operates these routes with Dornier 228 aircraft, so the same basic checks matter every time: current timetable, fare, 5 kg baggage rule, check-in window, island transport, weather, and sea-route backup.

Last checked: August 21, 2026. Timetables, fares, aircraft assignment, booking rules, baggage rules, special-item acceptance, operation status, sea schedules, port use, island buses, taxis, and weather decisions can change. Always confirm current details on New Central Airservice, UMISORA, Tokai Kisen, and official local sources before travel.

The four routes at a glance

The fare numbers above are the regular adult one-way fares shown on New Central Airservice’s timetable and fare page when checked. Treat them as planning snapshots, not fixed promises. Monthly timetables and fares should be refreshed before buying.

Why Chofu is a different kind of airport choice

Chofu Airfield is not Haneda or Narita. New Central Airservice’s airport guide lists it at Nishimachi 290-3, Chofu City, Tokyo, and says it is about 15 minutes by Odakyu Bus from Chofu Station north exit. The same guide also lists taxi access from Chofu Station north exit or Musashisakai Station south exit at about 15 minutes.

That makes Chofu unusually good for travelers staying in western Tokyo, but the small-aircraft workflow is less forgiving than a casual rail transfer. New Central Airservice says check-in is from 60 minutes before departure to 30 minutes before departure, and that procedures should be completed 30 minutes before departure. Build the airport access and counter window into the route choice from the start.

Aircraft scale and why baggage matters

New Central Airservice identifies its aircraft as the Dornier 228-212. Its aircraft page lists crew 2 and passengers 19, and describes the type as suited to short runways and island routes. It also notes that performance values vary with passengers, cargo weight, and weather.

That last point is not just technical trivia. The baggage page says free baggage is 5 kg per passenger, including carry-on and checked baggage. At the time checked, excess-baggage rates were 240 yen per kg for Oshima, 300 yen for Niijima, 350 yen for Kozushima, and 380 yen for Miyakejima. Excess baggage may still be refused depending on the situation, so do not solve a heavy trip only with cash.

Special gear is the bigger decision. New Central Airservice warns that surfboards, fishing rods, cooler boxes, and bicycles in rinko bags may not be accepted depending on size and weight, and should be confirmed before reservation. This is why Niijima can be perfect for a light surf-viewing trip and awkward for a heavy surfboard trip unless the airline confirms the gear first.

Route personalities

Oshima: Choose Oshima if this is your first Chofu island-air route or if you want the easiest fallback logic. UMISORA describes Oshima as less than two hours by high-speed jet boat and about 25 minutes by plane. That means the aircraft is a compact thrill, while Tokai Kisen sea service gives you more comparison options than on the farther routes.

Niijima: Choose Niijima if the island theme matters as much as the aircraft. UMISORA says Niijima is about 40 minutes by plane and is one of Japan’s leading surfing islands, with koga-stone buildings and moyai statues. Pack light, because beach dreams and the 5 kg baggage rule can clash quickly.

Kozushima: Choose Kozushima if you want a more dramatic outer-island feeling without leaving from Haneda. UMISORA places it at about 45 minutes by plane and about 3 hours by high-speed boat. The route is attractive for hiking and island scenery, but airport-to-village movement and weather status deserve early checking.

Miyakejima: Choose Miyakejima if you want the longest Chofu flight and a volcanic-island focus. The checked New Central fare was the highest of the four, and the excess-baggage rate was also the highest of the four. Tokyo’s island-access guidance and UMISORA point travelers toward checking current operator information because times can change with weather and season.

Timetable comparison

Do not rank routes only by island distance. New Central Airservice publishes monthly timetable PDFs, and the pattern can vary by date. The August and September 2026 PDFs checked for this article showed pattern-based schedules, with Oshima varying by pattern, Niijima having multiple daily round-trip opportunities in the checked month, and Kozushima and Miyakejima showing fewer daily pairs than Niijima in the examples checked.

For travelers, the practical rule is simple: compare your exact travel date, not the route name. A route that is shorter in the air may still be worse for your lodging check-in, return connection, or weather backup if its useful departure time does not fit your day.

Sea-route backup

Tokai Kisen’s official English site describes the high-speed jet ferry route as Oshima-Toshima-Niijima-Shikinejima-Kozushima and provides reservation, timetable, fare, terminal, and baggage information. That makes Oshima, Niijima, and Kozushima easier to compare against sea travel than they first appear.

Miyakejima is different because the sea branch is the large-passenger-ship pattern rather than the same high-speed jet-ferry logic. If your trip cannot tolerate a missed return, compare Chofu flights with Tokai Kisen and UMISORA status before locking lodging, activities, or onward transport.

How to choose

Booking checklist

• Open New Central Airservice’s monthly timetable for your exact route and date.
• Check the regular fare, round-trip fare conditions, and busy-period notes before paying.
• Check same-day operation status on New Central Airservice and UMISORA.
• Keep total baggage near 5 kg unless the route counter confirms otherwise.
• Call before reservation if you have surfboards, fishing rods, cooler boxes, bicycles, pets, or assistance needs.
• Confirm island-side transport because waiting taxis and frequent buses should not be assumed.
• Compare Tokai Kisen sea options when your schedule or baggage makes the flight fragile.

Where to go next

Use this as the route-choice branch of the Japan Transport Fan Travel Guide. For single-route detail, continue with the Chofu to Oshima Small Aircraft Guide, Chofu to Niijima Small Aircraft Guide, Chofu to Kozushima Small Aircraft Guide, or Chofu to Miyakejima Small Aircraft Guide. For the mainland starting point, read the Chofu Aerodrome Area Guide.

Photo credit

Featured image: New Central Airlines Dornier 228 JA34CA at Chofu Airport by Kentaro IEMOTO via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. The image may be resized by WordPress for site display; no editorial changes are intended. It is used in editorial transport-travel-guide context and does not imply current aircraft assignment, current route operation, endorsement by the creator, Flickr, Wikimedia, New Central Airservice, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokai Kisen, or island communities.

Sources

• New Central Airservice official homepage
• New Central Airservice official timetable and fare page
• New Central Airservice official user guide
• New Central Airservice official baggage page
• New Central Airservice official aircraft page
• New Central Airservice official airport guide and access page
• New Central Airservice official same-day operation status page
• UMISORA Oshima island page
• UMISORA Niijima island page
• UMISORA Kozushima island page
• UMISORA Miyakejima island page
• Tokai Kisen official English site
• GO TOKYO official island-access guide
• Wikimedia Commons image file and license record

Editorial disclosure: This is an independent planning guide. It is not affiliated with New Central Airservice, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokai Kisen, GO TOKYO, Flickr, Wikimedia, the photographer, or island communities.