Narita second runway extended to 2,500 metres
22-Oct-2009 Narita expands its global network.
NAA (Narita International Airport Corporation), the owner-operator of Narita Airport, announced today that the now extended Runway B at Narita International Airport was officially put into service, after being extended to the length of 2,500 metres from 2,180. The runway extension project had been completed as many as five months ahead of the original schedule. With this extended runway in addition to the existing 4,000-metre Runway A, Narita International Airport will now more adequately fulfill its role as a key international hub airport.
Narita's Runway B first opened in April 2002 as an interim runway with a length of 2,180 metres, in time for the FIFA World Cup 2002 which was co-hosted by Japan and Korea. While use of the runway was limited to
certain types of aircraft at the time, it nonetheless opened the way to a significant increase in landing/take-off slots and contributed to adding new routes and operating additional flights. It was obvious, however, that
it could not sufficiently meet the market demand, calling for a prompt extension of the runway.
The longer, 2,500-metre Runway B will lift the restrictions on aircraft types, enabling larger wide-body aircraft such as B747 and B777 operating long-haul services to destinations such as US West Coast and Moscow.
From 28 March 2010, Narita will have 20,000 additional landing/take-off slots available per year. As a result, a significant increase in the number of flights on existing routes is expected.
Furthermore, in 2010, the Narita Rapid Railway system will come into service, connecting Narita Airport and central Tokyo in only 36 minutes. This radically reduced travelling time to/from the airport will render Narita Airport readily comparable to other major airports around the world.
Narita Airport will further expand its capacity and network under the slogan of "POWER UP! NARITA 2010", to serve as Japan's primary gateway to the world and as the international airport of Japan's capital, Tokyo.
Please look out for more exciting news from Narita Airport.