Japan's Narita airport mulling consolidating 3 terminals

CHIBA -- The operator of Narita International Airport, east of Tokyo, is considering consolidating its three existing terminal buildings into one, it announced on Sept. 14.

Narita International Airport Corp. in the city of Narita, Chiba Prefecture, unveiled a medium- to long-term concept of building a new "One Terminal" facility, though the scale, location and cost are yet to be determined. The company plans to build a new 3,500-meter-long third runway and extend its existing Runway B (2,500 meters) by 1,000 meters by March 2029. In line with this project, it intends to organize the terminals in steps to respond to the increase in travelers.

The new concept was revealed in an opinion exchange meeting held at the Chiba Prefectural Government building attended by Chiba Gov. Toshihito Kumagai, Narita International Airport President Akihiko Tamura and the mayors of nine municipalities around the airport. The operator intends to establish a panel comprising experts, the prefecture's vice governors and local mayors, and draw up concrete plans by March 2023. It will also proceed with discussions about the development of a new cargo area.

Gov. Kumagai said after the meeting, "We will tackle the project so that it leads to economic revitalization of the surrounding area."

Tamura, meanwhile, commented, "We've thought from scratch about how to respond to aviation needs." He recognized that bringing railways to One Terminal was a necessary step.

(Japanese original by Tadakazu Nakamura, Narita Bureau)