CHIBA, Japan - Japan's Narita airport is moving forward with a plan to consolidate its three terminals into one in the 2030s, with new and extended runways expected to raise annual flight movements to 500,000.
The move aims to strengthen the functionality of the airport near Tokyo and boost its competitiveness as an international hub in Northeast Asia, particularly as Tokyo's Haneda airport continues to operate near capacity.
"We want to improve convenience for passengers, including those making connections," an official of Narita International Airport Corp. said.
The company, together with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and others, outlined their plans at a July meeting on strengthening Narita airport's facilities.
Since opening in May 1978, the airport has expanded through additions including new terminals, but transfer passengers have faced inconveniences such as needing to travel between terminals by bus.
Under the plan, a new terminal equipped with new boarding gates would be built between the current Terminals 1 and 2 in the 2030s, connecting to existing facilities via passageways.
The terminal would gradually be expanded with customs and other functions consolidated to ultimately create a single terminal airport. The schedule for construction has yet to be decided.
Once the new terminal is completed, the airport's floor area would increase from the current 970,000 square meters to about 1.1 million sq meters.
Narita airport is also considering introducing a people mover system similar to the one at Hamad International Airport in Qatar to accommodate east-west travel of up to about 2 kilometers.
Meanwhile, new and extended runways are expected to increase annual flight capacity from 340,000 to 500,000 movements, while annual passenger numbers are projected to rise from 57 million to 75 million.
