TOKYO: The Edo-inspired floor at Haneda’s new international terminal.
Haneda Airport’s new international terminal gives Narita a run for its money
Tokyo’s Haneda Airport officially resumes regular international flights, when its new international terminal opens on Thursday.
The new international terminal features several unique floors for travellers. For example, an Edo-inspired floor features shops which sell traditional crafts while another floor focuses on the latest in Japanese pop culture.
For travellers who need a change of pace, there’s a 50-meter mini car racing track and inside a cafe, a big screen tells you more about your destination.
Hanada’s new international terminal is also connected to a monorail and a train line that can take you to the heart of Tokyo in just 13 minutes.
Narita had replaced Haneda as Tokyo’s international airport in 1978. However it’s been more than 30 years since then and Narita has built only two runways while Haneda airport has already built its fourth runway.
According to Yoichi Hirai, Vice-President of Corporate Planning at the Tokyo International Air Terminal, Haneda Airport is distinctly different from Narita Airport.
“In the case of Narita, there’s a curfew 11 pm to 6 in the morning [whereas] Haneda can be open 24 hours. It’s completely different. And the 3rd is, its connection to domestic flights. Basically, Haneda is for domestic flights so there are many flight to many other areas in Japan,” said Mr Hirai.
Haneda handles about 303,000 flights a year, making it one of the busiest airports in the world. However, it still has a long a way to go before its 17 international destinations can come close to Narita’s offering of 97 international routes.
According to Mr Hirai, the size of the facilities and flight slots at Haneda is still “quite small at this point”.
Takashi Okada, the Chief Consultant of the Social-System Consulting Department at the Japan Research Institute, feels that both airports have a role to play.
“There are many airports in New York and London, and each of them are effectively used. And so we should think in that terms in Japan, the plan for Haneda and Narita is to compliment each other,” he said.
Both airports have landing fees that are among the highest in the world, but some industry watchers do not see it as a deterrent.
“The global economy wants to deal with the Japanese economy and market, so there are airline companies on the waiting list. The high cost does not stop them,” said Mr Okada.
In fact, the expansion of Haneda may be a significant step for Tokyo to keep its place as an attractive global city.
By Michiyo Ishida