From The Floor: Narita Buoyed By Inbound Demand

Strong inbound tourism demand to Japan is fueling network and passenger growth at Tokyo Narita International Airport (NRT).

From January to June 2024, Japan welcomed 17.7 million foreign tourists, the highest for any first half of the year. In July alone, NRT recorded 1.92 million foreign passengers, representing 120% of pre-pandemic levels from 2019.

In response to this surge in demand, NRT has welcomed several new routes in 2024, including services by Thai AirAsia to Bangkok Don Mueang via Kaohsiung; Aero K to Seoul; Spring Airlines to Shijiazhuang; ZIPAIR to Vancouver; and Air Japan to Bangkok, Seoul, and Singapore.

Upcoming routes include United Airlines’ flights to Cebu; Air Tahiti Nui to Papeete; All Nippon Airways to Perth; Iberia to Madrid; and Japan Airlines to Shanghai.

NRT has also seen a rise in LCC traffic in recent years, with the capacity share of low-cost operators surging from 27% in 2019 to 42% in 2024, according to OAG Schedules Analyser data.

“The development of new long-range small aircraft, such as the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A321XLR, presents opportunities to establish new routes to Asian cities previously inaccessible by narrowbody aircraft,” a spokesperson for NRT told Aviation Week.

“We aim to capture increasing demand from the Southeast Asian, Chinese and Indian markets. By leveraging our position as the closest airport to North America, we plan to enhance transit traffic between Asia and North America.”

To accommodate increasing passenger and cargo demand, NRT is undertaking major infrastructure improvements. Plans include extending the existing runway and constructing a third runway by the end of fiscal 2028. Operating hours will also be extended.

A key aspect of the airport’s future is also the planned consolidation of its three passenger terminals into a single mega-terminal, enhancing user experience and connectivity for international and domestic flights. The new terminal will be approximately 1.1 million m² in size, and will be able to handle 66 million passengers annually.

Additionally, NRT also plans to expand and consolidate cargo facilities to meet direct shipping and cross-border demands, strengthening its position as a leading cargo hub in East Asia.