Japanese panel urges airport expansion

Bloomberg News

TOKYO — A Japanese government advisory panel urged the country's aviation officials to expand Tokyo's domestic Haneda airport and allow more international flights to ease congestion at the city's international runway at Narita.

Construction of a fourth proposed runway at Haneda for domestic flights would leave additional slots that could be used for international flights from 2015, said the independent panel, chaired by Hideo Nakamura, an academic from Musashino Kogyo University.

Even with the May opening of a new runway at Narita, which handles 52 percent of Japan's international flights, the government expects demand to outstrip capacity during the next 15 years, which may force airlines to use bigger jets, such as the Boeing 747, or the proposed Airbus Industrie A380 to accommodate more passengers.

Japan's aviation authorities agreed in January to allow Japanese and South Korean carriers to operate limited international charter flights at Haneda this year, the first at the terminal in more than 20 years. Still, a lack of customs and immigration facilities will limit these routes to 1,000 passengers, or two return flights a week.

Japan Airlines Co., All Nippon Airways Co. and Japan Air System Co. began flights to tourist destinations such as Saipan, Hawai'i and Guam from February. Korea's Asiana Airlines and Korean Air were allocated routes to the holiday island of Cheju.