Inkjet recording apparatus

An inkjet recording apparatus comprising:

• a recording head that records an image by discharging ink to a recording medium being conveyed;
• a waste ink container located in such a manner as to face the recording head in a certain direction across a conveyance path of the recording medium, having a reservoir region therein, and storing the ink in the reservoir region, the stored ink being discharged from the recording head and not to be used for recording of the image;
• and
• a suction mechanism that sucks gas from the waste ink container, wherein
• the waste ink container includes:
• a plurality of receiving openings for receiving the ink discharged from the recording head;
• an absorbing member located in the reservoir region and absorbing the ink;
• a merging chamber defined by space in the reservoir region where the absorbing member is absent, and located at a position spaced at an interval from each of the plurality of receiving openings as viewed from the certain direction;
• a suction opening forming communication between the merging chamber and the outside of the reservoir region and connected to the suction mechanism;
• a plurality of suction air passages defined by space in the reservoir region where the absorbing member is absent, merging with each other in the merging chamber, and forming communication between each of the plurality of receiving openings and the suction opening to cause a suction airflow to pass therethrough generated in response to driving of the suction mechanism;
• and
• a cover located in the reservoir region and having lower gas permeability than the absorbing member, and
• the cover covers the merging chamber from a direction perpendicular to the certain direction.