Tokyo's Airport Draws U.S. Carriers, Connections
<B> Tokyo's Airport Draws U.S. Carriers, Connections</B>
By David Jonas
Despite ongoing economic woes in Asia and slightly diminished passenger traffic, Tokyo's Narita Airport last month reopened an improved and expanded Terminal One. The modernized facility debuted in time to handle several new routes from the United States, which are growing as the airport's importance in the region grows.
U.S.-based airlines currently account for 30 percent of Narita's passenger traffic, according to Yoichi Abe, executive board director at the New Tokyo International Airport Authority. Several airlines, including American and Northwest, have initiated new routes from the U.S. mainland in the past few months, but Continental has launched the newest nonstop routes, linking Tokyo with both Houston and Newark.
"Because we are located in the place that connects the Pacific with Asian countries, an increase in the number of routes by U.S. carriers is indispensable for us to secure a position as an important regional hub," said Abe. While overall passenger volume dipped nearly 5 percent in 1998, connecting passenger traffic continued to increase steadily.
To accommodate this growth and a forecast rise in overall traffic into the next century, Narita recently completed the huge renovation project of Terminal One. The revamped facilities, which opened last month, include a new central building connecting the north and south wings.
In total, 90 checkin counters have been added, including many connected to the new common-use terminal equipment system. This innovative design, which also involves baggage handling and boarding pass readers, enables any airline to access a centralized information system from all connected counters. The installed boarding pass readers can read boarding passes distributed by any airline.
"In the past, counters were monopolistic to each airline. Now, any airline can use any counter for more efficient operations, particularly during times of heavy congestion," Abe said.
Other features of the new terminal--reconstructed also to meet new disaster prevention standards and to implement more effective terrorist countermeasures--include an airport mall, which has numerous shops and restaurants located in publicly accessible areas as well as beyond security checkpoints. In addition, more elevators and escalators have been built, as well as wider moving sidewalks, more facilities for handicapped passengers and shower rooms and sleeping rooms with both single and double beds.
"Those airlines using Terminal One used to envy tenants of the newer Terminal Two," Abe noted. "Now it will be reversed." Terminal One carriers include a handful of U.S. airlines--American, Northwest and United--and Air France, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Singapore and other international carriers.
Meanwhile, airport officials are conscious of emerging global alliances and considering measures to simplify connections. Operations of many codeshare partners will be moved nearer to one another, while improved signage and intra-airport transportation will help travelers switch terminals. Travelers soon may know their gate numbers in advance, as the airport weighs the concept of fixed gate assignments for certain routes.
The New Tokyo Airport Authority will continue to implement new systems to keep Narita in pace with the future. In the short term, its Year 2000 plan has been touted as a success. "After a site visit last month, IATA concluded that Narita has enacted a very strong program that should serve as a model for the world's airports," said Abe.
For the long term, a new runway is expected to be ready within two years and should sharply boost the airport's capacity. Other initiatives include enhanced use of systems linked to global positioning systems to control aircraft on the ground and in the air, a shuttle system between terminals and renovated gates to handle next-generation large aircraft. Other environmentally sensitive systems are being explored, including power storage and rainwater collection.