Narita spotting

[Sing Yew 1]

excellent shots especially NRT from the air!

 

I heard that the dispute is finally over?

 

Part of it is over but still far from over. Check out these 2 articles below:

 

Minister OK's plan to extend Narita runway

The Yomiuri Shimbun

 

Construction and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa approved an application on Monday by Narita International Airport Corp. to extend its second runway northward from 2,180 meters to 2,500 meters.

 

The application made in July to amend the specifications of the airport was approved in accordance with the Civil Aeronautics Law. A ground-breaking ceremony is planned for Friday.

 

Earlier this month, a committee comprising representatives of the ministry, the airport corporation, the Chiba prefectural government and local municipalities agreed on measures to cope with possible noise problems caused by use of the extended runway.

 

(Sep. 12, 2006)

 

Link

 

 

Narita extension work begins / Longer runway aimed at increasing intl flights, competitive edge

Hideki Otani and Kazunori Hakkaku / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

 

Twenty-eight years have passed since Narita Airport opened with only one 4,000-meter runway.

 

During the period, huge airports have successively opened in other Asian countries.

 

Haneda Airport will open its fourth runway in 2009 to further accommodate international flights.

 

While competition among international airports is intensifying, should the government maintain its policy of having Narita primarily handle international flights while Haneda deals mainly with the domestic ones?

 

Many hurdles had to be cleared to complete the urgent task of making Narita Airport a fully operational international gateway.

 

After giving permission for the work to start, Construction and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa said at a press conference Tuesday, "By the end of fiscal 2009 at the latest, it's desirable that Haneda start using its fourth runway, coinciding with the extension of the Narita runway."

 

Kitagawa emphasized that improvements to Tokyo's two major airports and the surrounding areas were essential to meet the increased demands of air traffic.

 

When Haneda's fourth runway starts operating the airport's landing and takeoff capacity will increase by 122,000 flights to 407,000 a year.

 

The ministry plans to allocate about 30,000 takeoffs and landings for flights to and from other Asian countries.

 

Since April 2002, when Narita's temporary runway first started operating, Haneda has accommodated charter flights and a limited number of international flights. In 2009, Haneda will regularly accommodate international flights.

 

In reply to Haneda's move, Narita International Airport Corp. shortened the time frame for its runway extension work from six years to four, making its completion the corporation's top priority.

 

The corporation predicts that when the 2,500-meter runway becomes operational, the airport's landing and takeoff capacity will increase from 200,000 flights to 220,000 per year, and the number of passengers passing through the airport will increase by 1.8 million to 34.8 million.

 

The corporation also plans to construct a new high-speed railway in cooperation with Keisei Electric Railway Co. and other firms, which will connect Nippori Station on the Keisei Line and Narita Airport.

 

The new line will allow the journey to be made in 36 minutes--15 minutes faster than at present, according to the airport corporation.

 

The airport corporation aims to overhaul Narita's negative image--that of being small and far away.

 

The ministry reiterated that Narita and Haneda's role-sharing will not change. A ministry official said, "Narita's role as the hub for international flights is not going to change anytime soon."

 

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Runway queues

 

 

Even when the extension is completed there will still be problems to tackle: A taxiway that connects the temporary runway and the aircraft parking area runs at an angle, which means that planes on the taxiway have to queue to avoid collisions.

 

As a result, only about 12 planes per hour can use the temporary runway. Even after it has been extended to 2,500 meters, the number of planes taking off or landing will only increase by three or four--a much smaller number than the 32 per hour that can currently use the 4,000-meter runway.

 

Thus, the government says it has not given up on negotiating with the owners of a total of three hectares of land to the south of the temporary runway, that have not yet been purchased. Initially the temporary runway had been planned to extend to the south.

 

Corporation President Masahiko Kurono recently expressed a wish to this effect saying, "Extension to the south is desirable for the layout of the airport.

 

"Because demand for air traffic will continue increasing, the 2,500-meter extension won't be the end of the matter," he added.

 

For technical reasons, planes departing from the 2,500-meter runway will be limited to those going to San Francisco, Los Angeles and other U.S. West Coast destinations.

 

To accommodate all long-distance international flights at Narita, including those from and to New York and London, the runway needs to be at least 3,500 meters long, corporation officials said.

 

(Sep. 15, 2006)

 

 

Edited October 2, 2006 by Sing Yew