Narita Airport Marking 40th Anniversary

May 19, 2018

Narita- Narita International Airport is set to mark on Sunday the 40th anniversary of launching operations, at a time when airports in Asia are fiercely competing for the status of transport hub in the region.

At a commemorative ceremony, held on Friday in the city of Narita, Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, Narita International Airport Corp. President Makoto Natsume expressed eagerness to start the construction of a planned third runway at an early date.

"We'll make utmost efforts to accomplish the large-scale project to expand the airport that will determine the future of the region and our country," he said.

The ceremony was also attended by Chiba Governor Kensaku Morita, Kazunari Koizumi, mayor of Narita, which hosts the airport, and Tsukasa Akimoto, state minister of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism.

The project, agreed in March among the airport operator, the central government, the Chiba prefectural government and relevant municipal governments, calls for constructing new 3,500-meter Runway C, further extending existing Runway B, by 1,000 meters to 3,500 meters, and easing restrictions on late-night and early-morning flight landings and takeoffs. Runway B, which came into use in 2002, was extended to the current 2,500 meters from 2,180 meters in 2009.

Through the measures, annual takeoff and landing slots at the airport will increase to 500,000 from the current 300,000.

With the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics approaching and the Japanese government aiming to boost the annual number of foreign visitors to Japan to 60 million in 2030, the Narita airport, which opened on May 20, 1978, is determined not to lose its status as a major hub airport in Asia.

Competition, however, is increasingly tough. Airport construction or expansion projects are planned or under way in South Korea, China and Singapore.

"Narita International Airport is essential infrastructure for industry activities, tourism promotion and economic growth in our country," Japanese Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Keiichi Ishii told a press conference in Tokyo on Friday.

"We'll work on boosting the combined annual takeoff and landing slots at Narita and Tokyo International Airport at Haneda to one million, one of the largest capacities in the world," he stressed. Jiji Press