Narita airport to raise annual flight slots to 300,000+

NARITA, Japan, Oct. 13 Kyodo -
The operator of Narita airport agreed Wednesday with local governments and the
transport ministry on a plan to increase the annual number of takeoff and
landing slots at the airport to a maximum of 300,000 from the current 220,000
starting around fiscal 2014.
Narita International Airport Corp. won approval for the plan from the Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry as well as the governments of
Chiba Prefecture, the city of Narita and eight other local municipalities near
the airport in a meeting in Narita, east of Tokyo.
The agreement comes amid growing concern among local governments that the Oct.
21 opening of a new international terminal at Haneda airport, which is
convenient because of its proximity to central Tokyo, will reduce the number of
people using Narita airport in Chiba Prefecture.
But opponents of the increase in slots, including residents who complain of
aircraft noise, are stepping up their efforts.
Chiba Gov. Kensaku Morita told a press conference after the meeting, ''We
agreed to have Narita airport fulfill its mission as an international hub
airport and develop along with surrounding areas.''
Kosaburo Morinaka, president of Narita International Airport, said, ''We will
make efforts to become one of the largest airports in Asia,'' while promising
to make up for the added noise pollution by revitalizing the local community.
Narita International Airport plans to invite low-cost carriers and expand the
number of domestic flights for the planned increase of 80,000 slots.
The company is also considering the possibility of building a new terminal
designed for low-cost carriers or combining the two existing terminals.
==Kyodo