4-way council OKs more flights at Narita

March 14, 2018

Chiba- A public-private council adopted on Tuesday a plan to increase the number of annual takeoff and landing slots at Narita International Airport near Tokyo to 500,000 from the current 300,000.

An agreement on the plan was reached at a meeting that brought together officials of the central government, the Chiba prefectural government, nine municipalities near the airport and Narita International Airport Corp.

The plan calls for increasing takeoff and landing slots partly by adding a new runway.

The plan, decided ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, will propel the central government closer to its goal of increasing the number of foreign visitors to Japan to 60 million in 2030.

Key items included in the plan are the construction of 3,500-meter Runway C, which would be the third one at the airport, an extension of the existing 2,500-meter Runway B by 1,000 meters and an easing of the restriction on late night and early morning flights.

The flight restriction will be in place for four and a half hours between 12:30 a.m. and 5 a.m., from the current seven hours between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.

To increase flights ahead of the Tokyo Games, the flight restriction period for Runway A is slated to be shortened to six hours starting midnight.

Based on the agreement, the central government and the airport operator will start environmental assessment and other necessary procedures, aiming to complete the plan in 10 years. Jiji Press