i wish i can fly directly from Kuala Lumpur to Haneda... Narita is so XXXX inconvenient... (as i heard from my friends in Japan, books, and data i searched)

JAL lenders to demand cuts to international service
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/imagegallery/store/phplwMPQd.jpg

TOKYO: The main creditors of bankrupt Japan Airlines are to demand drastic cuts to the carrier's international service in exchange for further cash injections, a report said Friday.

The company declared bankruptcy in January with US$26 billion of debt in one of Japan's biggest ever corporate failures, but has continued flying while it goes through painful state-led restructuring.

With JAL looking to a state-backed turnaround body for assistance, its four main lenders, including the Development Bank of Japan, have already waived massive amounts of debt.

The lenders have now decided not to shell out further financial aid without solid evidence that earnings are set to head north, the Nikkei business daily said.

The banks will demand JAL cuts both international and domestic services, while one proposal calls on the carrier to withdraw entirely from European and US flights and to focus on the profitable Asian region, the paper said.

The struggling airline currently runs more than 90 international flights, including code shares with other airlines, of which around a third are to Asian destinations.

The carrier posted a US$2 billion loss for the nine months to December and is planning more than 15,000 job cuts.http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific_business/view/1047479/1/.html

JAL mulls axing several international and domestic flights
TOKYO, April 3 (PNA/Kyodo) - Japan Airlines Corp., now under a State-backed restructuring process, is considering axing about 20 international and 30 domestic routes after this fall, sources knowledgeable about the matter said Saturday.

This count is much bigger than the approximately 30 routes targeted in an earlier plan the nation's biggest carrier drew up with Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corp. of Japan after filing for bankruptcy protection in January.

The airline aims to accelerate its restructuring by shutting down more unprofitable air routes, the sources also said.

Among the international routes under review is JAL's longest route, the one between Narita airport east of Tokyo and Brazil's Sao Paulo via New York, the sources noted.

Also on the list are flights from Narita to different cities like San Francisco, Italy's Milan, Indonesia's Denpasar and Kona in Hawaii.

The target flights also cover those from Kansai International Airport in Osaka to Bangkok, Beijing, Guangzhou and Hong Kong.

Among the domestic routes for possible axing are all nine domestic routes to and from Nagoya Airport in central Japan and a connection between New Chitose Airport near Sapporo and Central Japan International Airport or Centrair south of Nagoya.

JAL will discuss the latest scrapping plan with its main creditor banks and will include such in its overall turnaround plan to be mapped out by June's end, the sources added.

The overall plan is expected to cover cuts of about 20,000 jobs for the group. (PNA/Kyodo)http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=4&sid=&nid=4&rid=267698

^^ That is very bad indeed. JAL had been an institution in Japan for a very long time and I feel bad about this.

It's because of the people so-called "Naliban"

yup, ultra-left terrorists as well as NIMBY peasants

Struggling JAL to cut 50 routes: reports
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/imagegallery/store/phprJvnQ8.jpg

TOKYO : Struggling Japan Airlines expects to cut about 50 routes including international and domestic flights this financial year in its bid to return to profitability, reports said Saturday.

The airline, being restructured with the help of a state-backed turnaround fund after filing for bankruptcy in January, plans to cut 29 international and 31 domestic routes by the end of March next year, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily reported.

The Asahi Shimbun said in its evening edition JAL would cut about 50 routes in total.

The airline currently operates more than 90 international flights, including code shares with other carriers, of which around a third are to Asian destinations.

The routes to be cut include flights to Sao Paulo, Milan, Bangkok and Beijing, the reports said.

The carrier posted a two billion dollar loss for the nine months to December and is planning more than 15,000 job cuts. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific_business/view/1047681/1/.html

so huge airport.....

A few farmers are refusing moving their land for more than 40 years (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narita_airport#History).
so Japan dosen't have forced land buyout for public constructions? Here if land owner dosent agree to sell, demands too high price, dosent agree to resetle to other place, authority uses forced buy mode, they pay better than walue on free market but lower than when buyer agrees to sell and bargins so usually moust of owners decides to sell and get 150% of land value than be forced out with only 115% value... :)

Because of the weird stuff, at first I thought that the airport is still new and expanding. There is a temple at the shorter runway.

Because of the weird stuff, at first I thought that the airport is still new and expanding. There is a temple at the shorter runway.

Well actually, Narita is still expanding. 4 new airlines commenced service to Narita and capacity was increased by 10% ony last month.

http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/whats_new/100330.html

Now they finished extending the 2nd runways they could indeed increase the number of flights. But now everything depends on when Haneda opens up for international flights, that will probably result in a significant drop of flights when the international carriers that are allowed to use Haneda will very much make use of that opportunity. And then there's the JAL situation, it's still unclear how many routes they are going to terminate. And those routes won't all be taken over by ANA or international carriers.

Most of Narita's new routes are formerly routes that went to Kansai or Nagoya... grrrr...

Sunday, May 23, 2010
The Japan Times
Ibaraki's hidden lure
Barely an hour north of Tokyo by road or rail, Ibaraki Prefecture is a place few people may consider for a day trip or an overnighter. But with its wealth of history and natural appeals, it's surely time it took its rightful place on the traveler's map

Whether tourist or resident, anyone looking for a short trip out of Tokyo, but still within the surrounding Kanto region, has plenty of varied options.

There's the mountain resort of Nikko in Tochigi Prefecture, the medicinal hot-spring town of Kusatsu in Gunma, the scenic and historic hot springs close by Mount Fuji in the Kanagawa mecca of Hakone, and many beautiful Pacific-lapped spots on the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka.

Often overlooked is Tokyo's near neighbor of Ibaraki Prefecture, bordered by Chiba to the south and Fukushima to the north, Tochigi on the west and the Pacific Ocean on the east.

Other than scientists visiting one of the 46 research institutes in Tsukuba, or soccer fans of the Kashima Antlers, the J-League's most successful team — with seven league championships in the 17 years of the league's existence — most people have probably not considered visiting Ibaraki to explore its considerable attractions.

However, within the prefectual borders there are many fascinating, beautiful and unique destinations, both natural and historical, just waiting to provide a wide range of seasonal, culinary and cultural experiences.

In this report, stand by to be introduced to just three of them that span the year and cover the length and breadth of the prefecture.

First stop is Tsuchiura, located on the western shore of Lake Kasumigaura, and easily accessible by car on the Joban Expressway or by rail on the JR Joban Line, just 66 minutes (and ¥1,110) from Ueno Station in central Tokyo.

Lake Kasumigaura, with a surface area of 220 sq. km and a 252-km shoreline, is Japan's largest lake after Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, near Kyoto (674 sq. km). The greatest attraction of the lake, besides the sport fishing it offers for alien species such as channel catfish and large-mouth bass, are its hobiki-sen trawlers with their gorgeous and unusual sails.

Some 20,000 years ago, Lake Kasumigaura was part of the Pacific Ocean, an inlet reaching all the way to the foot of Mount Tsukuba. In more recent times the sea receded, but the lake remained partly saltwater and tidal, being connected to the Pacific by a series of marshes, lagoons and branches of the Tonegawa River. But in 1973, the government ordered the sluice gates on the Tonegawa's Hitachitone Dam to be closed, and since then it has become a freshwater lake.

Fisheries have existed on Lake Kasumigaura since ancient times. Fisherman often lived on their boats, which they propelled by means of a sculling oar in the stern. Fishing boats were small, about six meters in length, yet some fishermen had their wives and children living on board.

Then, from the end of the Edo Period (1603-1867), Western technology began to arrive in Japan, and the country plunged into a process of rapid modernization.

Larger sailing trawlers, from eight to 15 meters long, and carrying a small crew of three or four, were introduced on Lake Kasumigaura. The crew would row, still using the sculling technique, from the main harbor of Tsuchiura, 8 or 10 km out to the point of the Dejima Peninsula, and then sail back, dragging a midwater trawl on the prevailing easterly wind off the Pacific.

The hobiki-sen use a single, wide rectangular sail and fish by drifting downwind, the sail being used to generate pulling power for the net which is dragged some 60 to 80 meters behind the boat as it travels beam-on (sideways) to the wind and rides crossways up the crests and down the troughs of the waves.

To crew a hobiki-sen in anything but the most balmy breezes takes great skill in handling the sail and spar to prevent capsizing, and indeed many boats did turn turtle until their crews gained experience.

Conversely, in the case of too much wind or none, the boats simply did not go out. The main targeted species of the hobiki-sen fishermen were whitebait (shirauo) and freshwater smelt (wakasagi). The latter were boiled in brine and dried in the sun before being sold to the fishmongers.

Although motorized freight and passenger boats navigated the lake and its connecting rivers during the late Meiji Era (1868-1912), hobiki-sen remained the dominant type of fishing boat for nearly 100 years. Interestingly, the reason for this stemmed from the sense of social equality prevalent among the rural people of the day.

This feeling is strikingly illustrated through the words of Kakuji Sakurai, a Tsuchiura-based shipwright who lived from 1905-88 and is quoted in an English-language collection of oral histories titled "Memories of Wind and Waves; a Self-Portrait of Lakeside Japan" (Kodansha International, 2002) by Junichi Saga:

" . . . it was thought unfair to have two classes of men, the one relying on muscle power and the other on motor power to do the same work — so attaching motors to fishing vessels was outlawed."

That ban on the use of motors on fishing boats remained in force until 1967, and, although hobiki-sen no longer figure in the commercial catch on Lake Kasumigaura, a fishery business does continue there.

Carp, raised in net pens, represent the chief fishery today, while Japanese freshwater smelt (wakasagi) caught by motorized trawlers come second, followed by bottom fisheries for goby and shrimp, caught in traps.

However, perhaps the most extreme and ingenious method of harvesting Lake Kasumigaura's bounty was devised by a famed local character known as "Catfish Kyubei," whose story as told by lake fisherman Takamasa Sakurai is also recorded in "Memories of Wind and Waves."

Catfish Kyubei, it seems, was a lake fisherman who lived from 1905-93 and spent most of his working life fishing for Japanese catfish (namazu) with traps made of bamboo strips and baited with earthworms. In winter, though, catfish become sluggish in the colder water and congregate on the bottom around large underwater rocks. During that frigid season, while other fishermen ceased going for catfish, Kyubei would continue to catch them by diving underwater and using his bare hands to grab them.

In fact, history tells us that Kyubei would plunge into the lake stark naked — except for a straw covering tied around the end of his penis.

When the narrator Sakurai, himself then aged just 10, asked Kyubei about this practice, he apparently replied: "You know where a man feels the cold the worst? Right here at the end of his pole. Leave this exposed and your whole body suffers. Cover it up like this and you're all right."

Kyubei went on to explain the method to his apparent madness: "For me to catch catfish, I have to make my body as cold as theirs . . . as long as we're the same temperature, they can't tell I'm there, but if I'm warmer, they're on to me in a flash and take off. That's why I fish like this."

Nowadays, meanwhile, though Catfish Kyubei may have departed the lake, its hobiki-sen still sail on Sundays (except Aug. 15 and 22) from late July to late November, from 2-3 p.m. July-September (Tour 1) and 3.30-4.30 p.m. in October and November (Tour 2). Sailings are cancelled in times of strong wind and rain associated with typhoons.

While visitors can't actually board a hobiki-sen, they can take a tour aboard one of two cruisers that approach within hailing distance of the craft and provide excellent viewing and photo opportunities.

It's a wonderful chance to see true living history — and one made all the more evocative in light of a description recorded in "Memories of Wind and Waves" by hobiki-sen fisherman Susumu Fujii, who lived from 1911-97 and is quoted as follows: "When you got to the fishing ground and hoisted your sail, the wind would catch it in the middle, bellying it out so that it seemed to fill the whole sky. . . . That was a lovely sight — never failed to make my heart swell. No motor-powered boat could ever give you such a thrill."

Kasumigaura Harbor is a 5-minute walk from the East Exit of Tsuchiura Station, and the Keisei Marina, home of the White Iris, a motorized catamaran cruiser, is about another 10 minutes away along the north shore of the lake. Tour 1 (July 25- September 26) leaves the marina at 2 p.m., with sign-up time from 1-1.30 p.m., and returns an hour later. Tour 2 (Oct. 3-Nov. 28) leaves at 3.30 p.m. and sign-up time is from 2.30-3 p.m. The ship carves a circular course across the lake and drifts alongside the hobiki-sen for 10 to 15 minutes. With binoculars or a zoom lens, you can just about see the fillings in the crewmen's teeth.

Two other prime attractions of Tsuchiura, both located a 15-minute walk from the West Exit of the station, are the old city with its remarkable street of original buildings from the Edo Period (1603-1867), and Tsuchiura Castle, ancestral home of the Tsuchiya lords who ranked second to the Tokugawa Shoguns who ruled feudal Japan throughout that period — and whose defenses likely gave the name to today's Ibaraki Prefecture, since the kanji meaning of "ibaraki" is "thorny castle."

Budget airlines flock to Kansai
One budget airline after another has opened routes connecting Kansai International Airport with international destinations, attracting passengers with airfares much lower than those of conventional airlines.

In April, South Korea's Air Busan went into service at the airport, with Singapore's Jetstar Asia Airways to follow in July. That will bring the number of international budget flights to and from Kansai per week to 42, offered by five operators along seven routes.

Kansai is in fierce competition with other Asian airports for budget airlines' business.

On April 26, Air Busan began flying between Kansai airport and Busan. Since its launch in August 2007, Air Busan had offered only domestic flights within South Korea.

It opened its first international route in March, connecting Fukuoka and Busan, and the route from Kansai airport--a daily return service--is its second.

Air Busan fares start at 22,000 yen (US$241) for a Kansai-Busan return trip, a price the airline said is nearly 30 per cent lower than other airlines' fares.

The airline offered return tickets for 9,900 yen ($108) to celebrate the launch of the route.

"In-flight meals and other services are on the same level as other airlines'. We're sure we'll be successful," said Cho Zun Sok, managing director of Air Busan.

Flights on the Kansai-Busan route have so far been more than 90 per cent full on average, he said.

Budget airlines set their fares 10 per cent to 30 per cent below the lowest fares of major airlines, offsetting the discounts through cost-cutting measures such as shortening planes' standby time at airports.

The first budget airline to service Japan was Australia's Jetstar Airways, which opened a route between Kansai and Sydney in March 2007. Following in Jetstar's footsteps, the Philippines' Cebu Pacific Air and South Korea's Jeju Air started flying from Kansai airport.

From Narita airport, Jetstar flies to only two destinations, due to Narita's capacity limitations.

A senior official of Kansai International Airport Co. said budget airlines have chosen to launch operations at the airport "because it still has available arrival and departure slots, and because a certain level of demand (for budget flights) is expected".

The airport's decision to exempt newcomer airlines from landing fees for their first year of operations at Kansai has paid dividends. An Air Busan executive said, "If the fees weren't free, we wouldn't have launched our service there."

Success in attracting budget airlines to the nation is expected to have spillover effects for other tourism-related industries. An economic growth strategy panel of the land, infrastructure, transport and tourism ministry proposed adopting measures to this end in its draft report released April 28.

Other Asian countries are already enthusiastically courting budget airlines.

Singapore and Malaysia have constructed new terminals exclusively for use by budget airlines. South Korea offers budget airlines discounts on airport landing fees.

Takashi Mitachi, head of the Japan office of the Boston Consulting Group and a member of the ministry panel, said: "Landing fees and other costs at Japanese airports are too high. We need to help reduce budget airlines' expenses at Japanese airports, such as by offering exclusive-use terminals and facilities."http://www.asianewsnet.net/home/news.php?id=12260&sec=2

ANA To Launch Five International Routes From Tokyo's Haneda Airport
24 June 2010

TOKYO (Dow Jones)--All Nippon Airways Co. (9202.TO) said Thursday that it will launch international flight routes linking Tokyo's Haneda Airport and five destinations including Los Angeles and Honolulu, ahead of the airport's expanded slot capacity scheduled for Oct. 31, in a long-awaited move to give travelers easier access to and from central Tokyo.

The Japanese carrier, commonly known as ANA, said it will offer seven round-trip flights per week between Tokyo and four destinations - Los Angels, Honolulu, Singapore and Bangkok from Oct. 31. It will also offer 14 round-trip flights a week between Haneda and Taipei. These services are pending approval from transport authorities.

The new flight services will be more convenient for travelers because of Haneda's proximity to downtown Tokyo. Each of the newly launched flights are scheduled to depart from Tokyo around midnight, while some of them are set to arrive at Haneda early in the morning.

Haneda Airport, which has long served as Tokyo's main domestic airport, is preparing to increase its capacity by 40% and launch transcontinental services in October. The Japanese government is now allocating the new slots to airlines, before the airport's new, fourth runway becomes available for both morning and night use in October. The other Tokyo hub airport Narita International Airport is much further away from the central part of the city.

"Customers will find international flights to and from Haneda increasingly convenient, as the airport is easy to access from downtown Tokyo and offers fast connections to Haneda's domestic network," said ANA chief executive Shinichiro Ito.

In addition, ANA said it will expand its current charter flights from Haneda. For instance, it will boost its flights between Haneda and Gimpo Airport in Seoul to three-time a day from the current twice a day.

Casinos eyed for Narita Airport
Discussions are heating up over the idea of building casinos next to Narita Airport in Japan's Chiba Prefecture, even though legal revisions and other measures are still needed.

Many local businesses believe the time is ripe and are quite keen on the plan, which was initiated by Chiba Gov. Kensaku Morita to boost the appeal of Narita Airport over Haneda Airport, which is expanding its international services.

Morita presented the idea in March, proposing that the casino be open only to foreign tourists. "It's about time we put this issue on the table for discussion," he said.

A project team comprising local governments around the airport and business organizations will present different draft plans for establishing casinos. Headed by Morita, the team is tasked with devising strategies to invigorate Narita Airport.

Morita's suggestion was prompted by a survey of the panel's member organisations. Of the 15 that responded, 11 organisations said the time was right to consider building casinos around the airport.

"I think the timing is good, because of the need to compete with Haneda Airport," said Narita Mayor Kazunari Koizumi. "But to tell you the truth, I have no idea what the economic impact would be."

Kosaburo Morinaka, president of the airport's operator, Narita International Airport Corp., was more cautious. "I think (casinos) aren't suited to airports," Morinaka said.

However, Chiba Mayor Toshihito Kuma-gai was positive about the idea, saying, "Certain economic benefits can be expected, including employment."

The Chiba Municipal Assembly also received a proposal from the Junior Chamber International Chiba to invite casinos to the city, and the assembly established a federation of its members to examine the economic impact of such a project.

Osaka Gov. Toru Hashimoto has visited casinos in South Korea and Singapore with an eye to inviting casinos to his prefecture. Hashimoto plans to build casinos as the main attraction of a comprehensive resort facility and use tax revenues from the business to fund welfare and health care services.

Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara attempted to open a casino in the capital in 2002, but he ultimately scrapped the scheme due to problems concerning the Penal Code.

Currently, a group of Diet members is considering submitting a legislator-sponsored bill to an extraordinary Diet session, expected to be convened in autumn, to legalize casinos in this country.

However, Prof. Hiroyuki Yasujima of Rikkyo University, an expert on tourism, warned against rushing to conclusions.

"Casinos have ended up failing in many cases, so it's a happy-go-lucky way of thinking to simply believe casinos will help invigorate local economies," Yasu-jima said.

"For instance, Japan has no know-how (regarding casinos), and it's necessary to revise the law to (open them). Local governments will have to work with the central government and others concerned," he said.http://www.asianewsnet.net/home/news.php?id=12764&sec=2

Hawaiian Air Readies International Push, Awaits DOT Approval
2 July 2010
Dow Jones News Service

The head of Hawaiian Airlines said a new Tokyo service is set to start on Oct. 31 despite the lack of formal U.S. government approval.

Hawaiian, a unit of Hawaiian Holdings Inc. (HA), was the surprise winner of one of four coveted slots to start services from the U.S. to Haneda. Tokyo's downtown airport is a favorite with business travelers and will reopen to international flights when a new runway opens in October.

Japan is the largest overseas market for Hawaiian tourism, and the airline's planned Honolulu-Haneda service is part of an international expansion by the airline with a new fleet of Airbus A330s.

"It's a little curious," Hawaiian President and Chief Executive Mark Dunkerley said of the limbo left by waiting for the Department of Transportation to formalize its tentative approval.

Dunkerley said final approval for the Haneda service had been expected before an annual industry meeting in June that allocates airport takeoff and landing slot times.

DOT said a decision is expected "shortly." One wild card is whether United Airlines' parent UAL Corp. (UAUA) and Continental Airlines Inc. (CAL) appeal after missing out on Haneda rights. Delta Air Lines. (DAL) and AMR Corp.'s (AMR) American Airlines picked up the other three slots.

Hawaiian Airlines has seen the number of inbound tourists rise for six straight months, and the airline suffered less during the recession than did U.S. peers hobbled by vanishing business traffic.

"They're looking fine," Dunkerley said of bookings, with the airline also benefiting from a near-truce in the inter-island market.

The short hops between Hawaiian islands have produced some of the most ferocious competition in the industry, with multiple operators coming and going amid ruinous price wars.

Dunkerley says there has been six to eight months of "capacity stability", and he is sanguine about the prospect of its market-leading position on flights from the U.S. west coast being challenged later this year by the arrival of low-cost specialist Allegiant Air.

Allegiant acquired six Boeing Co. (BA) 757s that it plans to fly from the west coast, most likely from smaller cities not currently served.

Dunkerley said Hawaiian is used to competition on the west coast routes, and some analysts believe Allegiant's entry could even help the carrier by providing it with passengers for its inter-island services.

Carrying other airlines' passengers between islands when they arrive is one reason Hawaiian hasn't joined one of the global alliances, though Dunkerley said it has been approached in some form by all three.

The "third leg" of Hawaiian's strategy alongside the U.S. mainland and inter-island markets is its international expansion.

Tokyo will be its fifth overseas destination, joining Sydney, Manila, Tahiti and American Samoa, and flights to Seoul will start in January.

The international expansion will be led by the A330s, though the two that have arrived already are being used on services to Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It plans to receive eight more through 2014 and also has six A350s on order for delivery from 2017.

I'd love to fly out of and into Haneda instead of Narita. Problem is, all the international flights are at strange hours of the day. It doesn't make it conducive to trans-Pacific travel.

Most of Haneda's new international routes will be in Asia, where the time tables can match better.

If Haneda opens up some daytime slots for international travel... then watch out Narita.

The competition between the two airports will be good. Now all we need is better support of Kansai Int'l, pushing for more flights... lower the cost of landing there.

Ibaraki Airport to lose sole local flight in Sept.
26 June 2010
Daily Yomiuri

Skymark Airline will suspend its regular round-trip flight service between Ibaraki Airport and Kobe in September, leaving the newly opened airport with no regular domestic flight service, the airline has announced.

The decision is considered to be Skymark's de-facto withdrawal from the service. It leaves South Korea's Asiana Airlines round-trip flight to and from Seoul the airport's only regular service. The airport opened in March.

The daily round-trip flight between Ibaraki and Kobe began on April 16. In May, the flight's average occupancy rate stood at 75.6 percent. The figure, however, left the airline "not in the black when factoring in maintenance and other costs," Skymark said.

The airline wanted to make the service more profitable by boosting passenger numbers and increasing flight numbers to more than three round-trips a day. However, the airline said it was unable to win approval for this plan from the Air Self-Defense Force's Hyakuri Air Base, which shares the state-run airport facilities in Omitama, Ibaraki Prefecture.

"It's possible the ASDF could ask us to suspend our flights when they are holding a troop inspection ceremony. We are therefore unable to conduct this service on a regular basis," a Skymark spokesperson said.

The cancellation has shocked local officials.

"I am very surprised. I will ask the officials concerned to fine-tune any differences as soon as possible, and give top priority to passenger convenience," Ibaraki Gov. Masaru Hashimoto said late Thursday.

Skymark suspended its Fukuoka-Kobe flight service, inaugurated in February, on April 12.

The new international passenger terminal of Haneda Airport will be opening on 21 October 2010.

Terminal building is designed by the joint venture comprising of Pelli Clark Pelli Architects (Japan), Azusa Sekkei, and Yasui Architects & Engineers.

Design capacity: 7,000,000 passengers / year

The following is the design concept (in Japanese only):

陸」と「海」、今度のイメージは「空」。
1978年、国際線が新東京国際空港（成田）へ移転、その後、沖合展開事業により3本目の滑走路を建設、1993年第1ターミナルビル、2004年第2ターミナルビルが供用を開始。今回、4本目の滑走路の新設とともに国際線旅客ターミナルビルを建設。近距離国際旅客を対象に年間旅客数700万人の需要に見合う規模で計画。第1ターミナルビルは「陸」、第2ターミナルビルは「海」のイメージで建設、今回は「空」のイメージをメインテーマに、首都圏の空の玄関口にふさわしい、訪れる旅客に空への旅立ちの期待感を沸きおこさせるデザインコンセプトで計画している。日本と主に東アジアを結ぶ快適都市空港の実現に向け、シンプルなゾーニングと動線計画により、わかりやすい旅客ターミナルを計画。アジアから世界に誇れる最新の施設としてユニバーサルデザインの徹底、環境負荷の低減、徹底した保安・防災対策を追及している。
供用開始を目前に控えた今、東京国際空港の国際ハブ空港化が唱えられ、ますます利用者に期待されるターミナルビルとなることだろう。

所在地/東京都大田区　主用途/空港旅客ターミナル，駐車場　建築主/東京国際空港ターミナル株式会社　構造・階数/S造(駐車場:一部SRC造)　地上5階(駐車場:地上6層7階)　延床面積/約159,000m2(駐車場:約67,000m2)　竣工/2010年7月予定　設計/羽田空港国際線PTB設計JV(梓設計・ペリ クラーク ペリ アーキテクツ ジャパン・安井建築設計事務所)　監理/羽田空港国際線PTB監理JV(梓設計・安井建築設計事務所)

http://www.tiat.co.jp/images/terminal01.jpg

http://www.tiat.co.jp/images/terminal02.jpg http://www.tiat.co.jp/images/terminal03.jpg

http://www.tiat.co.jp/images/terminal04.jpg

http://www.tiat.co.jp/images/terminal05.jpg http://www.tiat.co.jp/images/terminal06.jpg

http://www.tiat.co.jp/images/terminal07.jpg http://www.tiat.co.jp/images/terminal08.jpg http://www.tiat.co.jp/images/corp_naibu.gif

Terminal looks nice with plenty of natural lighting.

Haneda offers glimpse of international hub

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/images/photos2010/nb20100803a3a.jpg
Shopping

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/images/photos2010/nb20100803a3b.jpg
Departure lobby
Tokyo's Haneda airport unveiled a new passenger terminal Monday that will handle international flights once its fourth runway becomes operational Oct. 21.The new five-story terminal will open the same day.

The airport currently handles a limited number of international flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul and Hong Kong, but once the new facility and runway are up and running, flights farther afield, including to Hawaii, San Francisco, Paris, Bangkok and Singapore, will be added.

Haneda is currently mainly a domestic hub, but with the facility soon to begin more international service, the new terminal will ease transits, said Shigeyuki Taguchi, senior vice president of Tokyo International Air Terminal Corp., which runs the airport.

"It (will be) very easy for passengers to transit from one flight to another between domestic and international," Taguchi said, noting this convenience is a major feature of the new terminal.

The terminal, with floor space of 154,000 sq. meters, is just across a runway from Terminal No. 1. A station will be built near the new facility so it can be accessed by bus, train and monorail, with travel times from central Tokyo of 15 to 20 minutes.

Taguchi said the airport is structured in a way that passengers will find it easy to get to check-in counters and departure gates once they arrive at the terminal.

An eye-catching characteristic of the new terminal is the fourth-floor shopping arcade resembling an Edo Period (1603-1867) street. The fifth floor meanwhile boasts a planetarium.

Haneda airport has gained in importance since transport minister Seiji Maehara broke a longtime taboo by declaring he wants it to become a 24-hour international hub. The government has long kept Haneda a daytime domestic flight hub, while Narita International Airport has been the international connection.

Haneda daytime operations will focus on flights to and from East Asia, while services between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. will focus on flights to Europe, the U.S. and Southeast Asia.

_ojf8MJgbz0

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20100803a3.html

Haneda Airport has announced that the extended portion of Terminal 2, mainly dominated by ANA, will be open for use on 13 October 2010.

Upon opening of the extended portion, the departure hall and arrival hall will double the existing size, security screening area will increase, and there will be more baggage reclaim carosels.

Area of extended portion = 49,400 sq m
No. of storeys = 2 basement levels + 6 above-ground levels

Designer: MHS-NTT Facilities & Caesar Pelli

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4077/4856355803_1e1fea838e.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4073/4856973704_cdba8bdbbf.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4119/4856973646_b97a3b0f0a_b.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56sbIx3BedI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRucJ8awkWA


Looking nice. One feature which I like very much about airports in Japan is that many of them still have observation decks, even the latest ones like Centrair (near Nagoya) and this one.:applause:

Haneda handled 61.9M passengers last year (2009) and ranked no. 5 in the world. With the new international terminal, Haneda should be able to surpass Chicago and London to be no. 3, or even surpass Beijing to be no. 2 in 2011.

Furthermore, as international airlines are very enthusiatic about flights via Haneda, will Haneda take away passengers/flights from Narita?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56sbIx3BedI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRucJ8awkWA


Looking nice. One feature which I like very much about airports in Japan is that many of them still have observation decks, even the latest ones like Centrair (near Nagoya) and this one.:applause:

Haneda handled 61.9M passengers last year (2009) and ranked no. 5 in the world. With the new international terminal, Haneda should be able to surpass Chicago and London to be no. 3, or even surpass Beijing to be no. 2 in 2011.

Furthermore, as international airlines are very enthusiatic about flights via Haneda, will Haneda take away passengers/flights from Narita?


actually, NRT will maintains its most important role, the main international hub of Japan. HND, certainly, will decrease the number of both flight, passenger and cargo of NRT. However, NRT will not be deleted because I guess many pax will transit at NRT because JL and NH just operate some special routes from HND. With the expansion of HND, I think few of pax will come back and use JL/NH because they can fly more convinient. This can threaten ICN.

In term of number of pax, HND will surpass LHR. But with ORD or PEK, it seems not to easy. Time will answer us.

Wish HND will be the 4th airport of Japan which is in the top 20 best airport of the world.

Ibaraki Airport Looking at Low-Cost Airlines

Mito, Ibaraki Pref., Aug. 17 (Jiji Press)--Ibaraki Airport, which opened five months ago as a third airport in the greater Tokyo area, is looking at Asian budget airlines for survival.

The airport has been struggling since it opened in Omitama, Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, as Japan's 98th airport on March 11 with only a daily round-trip flight to and from Seoul.

"It is apparent that Ibaraki Airport cannot compete against Haneda and Narita," an official of the host prefecture said, referring to the two established gateways to the Tokyo area.

"So, we have thought very hard for survival."

The result is that Ibaraki Airport needs to focus on luring Asian no-frills airlines.

Specifically, the airport slashed landing fees by 30-50 pct from the levels at Haneda and Narita for international flights, while reducing the costs that airlines need to shoulder for maintaining boarding gates and other related facilities.

In response to the efforts, Chinese low-cost carrier Spring Airlines will change its three weekly round-trip chartered flights to and from Shanghai into regular services as early as October.

In early 2011, Skymark Airlines, a Japanese no-frills carrier, plans to launch flights to and from New Chitose Airport, Hokkaido, northern Japan, and Central Japan International Airport in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan.

Those moves will raise the number of regular routes using Ibaraki Airport to five.

Skymark, the second carrier to use Ibaraki Airport after South Korea's Asiana Airlines, launched a daily round-trip flight to and from Kobe Airport, western Japan in April.

The prefectural official said Ibaraki Airport is now focusing on making it easier for carriers to launch services at low costs.

The average seat occupancy rate for flights using the airport is relatively high with some 74 pct for the Kobe route and some 67 pct for the Seoul route.

The Kobe route's bookings reached 93.9 pct of seats in the 10-day period ended Sunday, the highest of Skymark's 12 domestic routes.

The prefectural official said the airport is also making efforts to lead customers to use existing routes because boosting demand for them is important for opening more routes.

Japan Considers Options to Improve Airport Competitiveness
By Gavin Lipsith, 2 Sep 2010

The government of Japan is debating the future shape of its airport programme in response to increasing competition from neighbouring South Korea. The impact of Incheon International Airport is one of several factors cited for slow growth at Japan’s airports, alongside flight cuts and deteriorating government finances, according to The Yomiuri Shimbun.

The report claims that, with over 30 routes between Incheon and local Japanese airports, Japanese passengers are increasingly using Incheon as their international airport of choice, depriving local airports of international traffic beyond South Korea. The situation has been exasperated by the government’s failure to clearly define the roles of Tokyo Haneda and Narita airports.

When Haneda was opened in 2005, it was intended to accommodate mainly domestic flights while Narita focused on international routes. So Japanese passengers from other airports must fly from their local airport to Narita through Haneda to catch an international flight. It is much easier to fly from their local airport to Incheon instead. And while Narita is connected to 97 cities in 39 countries and regions, Incheon is linked to 124 cities in 43 countries and regions.

Both Narita and Haneda are making steps to increase competitiveness. Haneda will shortly be introducing direct flights to Los Angeles, Singapore and Hawaii, and will open a new terminal on October 21. And Narita is reviewing its airline charges; at present it is three times more expensive for an aircraft to land there as it is at Incheon.

More extreme options are being considered elsewhere. In the first development of its kind in Japan, the government is investigating the possibility of offering an airport management contract for the combined entity of Osaka Kansai and Itami airports. The contract, expected to be offered by 2012, will allow the government to invest proceeds back into airport infrastructure. At present government finances cannot carry the burden of underperforming airports, and Kansai airport, built in 1994, is operating with traffic well below forecasts.

The government’s rethink is due to declining international and domestic passenger traffic. Incheon and other Asian hubs have deprived Japanese airports of their international routes, while Japan Airlines' bankruptcy accelerated the decline of flight routes within the country; and forthcoming high-speed intercity train links will put further pressure on domestic routes.

The increasing disparity between the performance of airports in Japan and South Korea has also had a big impact on DF&TR sales, evident in evolution data from Generation Research. In 2004 Airport Shops in South Korea achieved sales +47.4% higher than those in Japan; last year the gap had widened to +121.2%. And while South Korean airport sales grew by +6.8% a year on average between 2005 and 2009, Japanese airport sales increased at a more sluggish average rate of +1.3%. [Source: Generation Research]

The government to expand C runway of Haneda for long haul flights


Reportedly the government is also working on plans to construct 2nd international terminal (T4) of Haneda along with the 5th runway.

I've read that due to the overwhelming response from the industry to the new international passenger terminal at Haneda, due for opening later next month (October 21), plan for expansion of the terminal is already being considered by the concerned ministry of Japan Government.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/4986075125_3581e1e57f.jpg

It seems that Narita is making a stratgetic maneouvre in view of the opening of the new international terminal at Haneda. It might work.

High-Cost Narita to Add Low-Cost Terminal
(2010-09-03; extracted from Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation's website)

The global trend towards LCCTs that began at the turn of the century shows no signs of abating and that is hardly surprising while LCC market share continues to grow in most regions. Within the past two months Japan’s Tokyo Narita International Airport Corporation stated it plans to add a passenger terminal in spring 2013 that will exclusively serve low-cost carriers. Construction is expected to commence in spring 2011, with the total cost estimated to reach up to USD228 million – another huge increase over the USD50 million or less that has typically been allocated for these terminals and especially in a country where LCCs still do not have a serious market share: only 5% domestic and just 1% international. What’s more, Narita is one of the world’s most expensive airports so it will be interesting to see what the price differentiation will be here.

Airlines like Jetstar, AirAsia and Tiger Airways will be the targets rather than Japan’s domestic LCCs and there is a strong suspicion that the decision was driven by the expansion of Haneda Airport and its shift into international operations as well as the opening of Ibaraki Airport. Some real competition in and around the Japanese capital at last. Narita Airport will consider preferential treatment for LCCs, such as lower landing fees. Several possible sites for the new terminal have been proposed, including a location close to the existing terminals.

It would be Japan's first dedicated LCC terminal although Kitakyushu Airport has catered for them for several years now. Kansai International Airport, the offshore airport that may be merged with Osaka’s Itami Airport, is also considering the construction of an LCCT. Kansai is likely to become the main base for low cost carriers operating in the country as it has greater capacity than Tokyo area airports. It is waiving landing fees for any new LCC operating at the airport in their first year. In Aug-2010, All Nippon Airways announced plans to form a low cost carrier as early as 2011, possibly based in Kansai.

Malaysia's AirAsia will start opening bookings for Haneda, Tokyo next week. :banana:

P= I would love to make a short visit to Tokyo and will better if there's a SSC member to help me out =)

Haneda Hubbub, Narita rallies
Geoff Tudor (Feb 2010, Orient Aviation)

Out of the blue last October, Japan’s new transport minister, Seiji Maehara, announced that in future he would promote Tokyo’s Haneda airport as Japan’s major 24-hour international hub airport. This effectively triggered a huge shift in the long established separation policy of airport functions in metropolitan Tokyo, namely Haneda for domestic flights and Narita for international operations.

Maehara’s statement, following a conference of top Asia-Pacific civil aviation officials, sent a shockwave through the aviation and political communities in Japan and could result in a scenario that the new minister had possibly not envisaged – intensifying competition between Haneda and Narita for both international and domestic business – an incongruity as both airports are under Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) control in one form or another.

The new policy statement was a complete surprise not only to his cabinet colleagues, but to also to bewildered MLIT bureaucrats who had no prior knowledge of their new master’s intentions.

As Haneda is much closer (15 km) to central Tokyo than distant Narita (70 km), the statement was welcomed by business leaders and residents in the capital. But members of the communities near Narita were taken aback.

After making his announcement minister Maehara clarified his stance. What he really meant, he said, was the operations of the two airports serving metropolitan Tokyo and the surrounding Kanto region, where more than 40 million Japanese live and work, would be “coordinated and integrated.” The government (or MLIT) did not intend to shift the emphasis from Narita to Haneda, but that it intends to treat and use the two airports as one Metropolitan airport in an integral manner.

Accordingly, Narita International Airport Corporation (NAA) has publicly stated that it does not see the situation as one of competition, but that the two airports should complement each other to accommodate growing traffic in the greater capital area. But perhaps Maehara’s true intention lies somewhere beyond that.

'The question of striking a balance between the two airports remains a difficult issue'

It’s a fact that there is no true hub function at Tokyo’s two international airports, thanks to the separation policy. The concept of user-friendliness was absent from the planning when a second airport for Tokyo was conceived. This is a situation that has long irritated air travellers in Japan, especially those from regional cities who have to fly to Haneda then take a bus or train to Narita.

In minister Maehara’s explanations, he has emphasized the huge slot increase at Haneda from October this year when the new fourth runway is commissioned.

A total of 110,000 new slots will be available, of which some 60,000 will be allocated to international scheduled flights, according to Maehara.

And from March, Narita’s slots will increase from the present 200,000 (of which about 20,000 are for domestic flights) to 220,000.

These two developments will make a tremendous contribution to international air service expansion in the Tokyo metropolitan area, adding a combined additional international slot total at the two airports of around 80,000 and bringing the annual international slot total in the metropolitan area to around 260,000 an almost 45% increase, according to Ryuhei Maeda, director-general of the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau.

After his first announcement, there has been a steady stream of announcements from minister Maehara about developments and intentions at Haneda, which have had an impact on development and intentions at Narita.

It had been established under previous government policy that scheduled international flights would be restored to Haneda after the 2010 expansion, but limited to Northeast Asia, i.e. Korea and China. But now the new government has negotiated flights from Haneda to Europe and is planning to include services to the U.S., following the recent agreement, in principle, of Japan-US “Open Skies”.

The domestic-international separation policy was decided decades ago when plans for a new airport to relieve congested Haneda were first mooted. The new airport would be for international flights. Domestic flights would be based at Haneda.

The selection of the Narita site was strongly opposed by local farmers and residents and opposition was often violent. When it opened in 1978 there was only one runway and prior to opening the government agreed to a curfew and to limits on flights per hour and per day.

Continuing opposition caused delays in creating a second runway that did not open until 2002 – and was then 320 metres short of its planned 2,500 metre length. That runway has now been extended to its full length, making the slot allocation increase possible from next month.

Strong opposition continued for many years at Narita, but after a breakthrough in airport-community relations in the early 1990s, the communities around Narita have increasingly come to realize that the local economy depends on the airport. Nine local governments are represented on a special body, the ‘Conference of Four Parties on Narita Airport’ – the other three bodies being the MLIT, Chiba Prefectural government and Narita International Airport Corporation (NAA), which discusses issues of mutual interest..

It came as little surprise that following minister Maehara’s pronouncements on turning Haneda into Japan’s primary gateway airport, the Narita communities are beginning to feel let down and left out.

Last year, on Christmas Day, the ‘Conference of Four Parties’ basically approved MLIT’s proposed operational changes to increase the number of annual landing and take-off slots to 300,000 by 2014. So speedy a move would have been inconceivable 10 years ago, but it shows the former opponents have now turned into supporters and are alarmed that Haneda might take away business from their communities.

Other developments in the works awaiting MLIT approval are simultaneous parallel landings and take-offs, which will boost hourly runway capacity. Now the ‘Conference of Four Parties’ is focusing on shortening the hours of curfew, which, if it can add an operational hour to each end of the curfew, would solve most of Narita’s operational problems.

The question of striking a balance between the two airports remains a difficult issue. Up to now, the understanding had been that post expansion Haneda would offer short-haul international flights and the long-haul operations would remain at Narita. But now this idea seems to be fundamentally changing too, along with the separation policy. The implications for Tokyo’s airports, the airlines and the consumer need careful consideration. Now is the time.

Haneda Puts Pressure on Narita
By Geoffrey Tudor in Tokyo (Orient Aviation, Sep-2010)

Just a year ago, Japan’s transport minister, Seiji Maehara, created a furore when he announced his plan to turn Tokyo’s Haneda airport into a 24-hour international hub when the new fourth runway opened.

Next month, October 31, the runway will come into operation and Haneda, after a gap of 32 years, will see the re-launch of scheduled international services with great fanfare.

But once the banners and bunting have been cleared away, what does this really mean, not just for Haneda, but especially for Narita Airport, which, until the expansion, has been Tokyo’s sole designated international gateway?

While many international carriers are launching international services from October 31, some involving small shifts from Narita, the two metropolitan airports are working together in harmony, not rivalry, management insists.

Narita, now a commercial corporation, is not, officials say, trying to compete with the state-run Haneda, which despite the new runway has plenty of infrastructural shortcomings.

Landing fees at 2,440 yen per tonne are the highest in Japan and complex manoeuvres are necessary when using the four runways. Although demand to use expanded Haneda could be high, the slot supply for international flights is rather limited, critics point out. Already there are calls for more daytime international slots.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) chief executive, Shinichiro Ito, is among those asking for more daytime slots. At present the slot council advising the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) recommended that of the 90,000 international slots to be allocated from the end of October, 60,000 should be for daytime flights with 30,000 going to late night and early morning flights.

In April, Ito commented that “Haneda will not become a real international airport if it gets only 60,000 daytime slots”.

ANA will be launching five new routes from Haneda: Los Angeles, Honolulu, Singapore, Bangkok and Taipei (Songshan). Additionally, Japan’s number two airline plans to increase its current flights to Seoul’s Gimpo airport, Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai, although extra flights to the latter two points may be delayed pending Chinese approval.

Earlier, ANA had requested that it should be granted all four Haneda slots allocated to Japanese carriers for U.S. routes and said it would be unfair for Japan Airlines (JAL) to expand its business while undergoing rehabilitation with “public funds”. The MLIT rejected the demand.

Also, JAL will be inaugurating five new services from Haneda: Honolulu, San Francisco, Bangkok, Taipei (Songshan) and Paris, the only European destination announced so far. No European carrier has declared an interest in a Haneda-Europe service.

Lufthansa German Airlines general manager for Japan, Otto Benz, explained: “From the standpoint of European airlines the situation at Haneda is still very disappointing. While Japanese government strategy describes a hub concept at this airport, the reality shows that European carriers cannot benefit by two-way feed offered by Japanese carriers as EU [European Union] airlines are constrained to operate only between 2200 hours and 0700 hours.

“The only feasible departure time under the given time-window for a European airline from Haneda would be between 0600 hours and 0700 hours and this would mean no connectivity from other Japanese cities, whilst Japanese airlines and Asian hub carriers could easily feed their Haneda flights with their planned flight schedules.”

He pointed out that additionally the early departure time is very inconvenient for local customers who would have to leave home between 3am and 4am in order to catch such flights.

“Therefore, we as European airlines do not support the term Haneda hub, which is misleading as we cannot participate in a fair and equal way”, said Benz.

“It goes without saying that Lufthansa cannot consider an operation under such circumstances and we hope the Japanese government will open at least landing times for European carriers in the late afternoon in order to increase the product on offer to consumers.”

The same goes for U.S. carriers, although Delta, Hawaiian and American Airlines will be operating from the airport: Delta to Detroit and Los Angeles, Hawaiian to Honolulu and American to New York JFK.

So far the MLIT has allocated two daily slots for Canada (Vancouver or Toronto), four for Germany, two for the Netherlands (Amsterdam), two for the United Kingdom (London) and two for France. These remain unallocated except for the single France slot taken up by JAL.

From Haneda to Southeast Asia, there will be four daily slots. Singapore Airlines will have two daily flights, JAL and ANA one each. AirAsiaX and Malaysia Airlines (MAS) will share a daily slot, with the long-haul LCC operating four flights a week and MAS flying to Kota Kinabalu three times a week.

Taiwan’s EVA Air and China Airlines will each fly twice daily to Taipei-Songshan. There will be three slots for Thailand and joining JAL and ANA on the Bangkok route is Thai Airways International.

For North Asia there will be 12 daily slots for South Korea shared by JAL, ANA, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines. Twenty slots will be allocated to China, including four for Beijing (JAL, ANA, Air China – twice daily) and eight daily for Shanghai. But approval by China for the increases has not yet materialized. Until that is forthcoming, the slots will be temporarily assigned to domestic flights. Cathay Pacific will start a new twice-daily service to Hong Kong.

Narita’s reaction to the new international presence at Haneda has been to concentrate on building good relations with the local Narita communities. For many years, strong opposition to the airport halted growth, but this is changing thanks to improvements in airport-community links and communication.

Thanks to these improvements Narita was able to increase annual take-off and landing slots to 220,000 from March this year and an agreement is likely on a 300,000-slot total by March 2015.

Narita also needs local support and understanding in extending the current curfew by an hour at each end to midnight-5am, which would help early birds land without circling - thus saving fuel – and help freight carriers who like late night departures.

The airport is also pursuing new business leads. A study for attracting LCCs is underway and plans are forming for the construction of a dedicated LCC terminal, which could be running by 2013.

So far only one LCC – Jetstar of Australia – is flying into Narita on a daily basis, but the Narita Airport Authority wants to attract more. Shanghai-based Spring Airlines, an operator to nearby Ibaraki airport, flies in once a week due to Self Defence Force operational restrictions at Ibaraki. Eventually LCCs could count for 8%-10% of total traffic.

It also wants to improve services for business jets, possibly sharing customs, immigration and quarantine facilities in the LCC terminal.

An improvement for travellers has been the Narita Sky Access, a new fast train which started running in July connecting Tokyo with Narita in 36 minutes. A new shopping mall with, initially, 100 outlets is due to open in 2013.

If the capacity of Narita is increased to 300,000 slots a year, attracting new airlines is going to be paramount because the airport is no longer a sellers’ market.

There will be several issues facing Narita in the future, apart from the return of Haneda to international business.

There is capacity congestion at peak times in Terminal One, mainly caused by shortages of customs and immigration officials.

Of vital concern is Japan’s air traffic control capacity in the Tokyo metropolitan region, which affects both Narita and Haneda.

One big question remains. In an increasingly tough and more competitive international air transport environment, will airlines still want to come to Narita? The NAA is making every effort to see that they do.

Thank you for the updates :)

Can you post the pictures here too? When the new terminal opens, Haneda will officially be my favorite airport in the world :)

Yeah, Im excited too. The current international terminal does a disservice to Tokyo. Plus, Haneda should move up in passenger use rankings:)

I hope Haneda will commence more international routes to reclaim its position as an aviation hub in North East Asia. To be frank, Narita is too far away from the major areas of Tokyo like Shinjuku, Shibuya and Ginza. As far as I know, South Korea has scheduled services between Incheon and 28 Japanese cities, while only 8 Japanese cities have flights to Narita. It's quite ironic that Incheon is now emerging as a gateway to Japan. Obviously, there is dire need to expand Haneda in order to maintain its competitive edge.

SAO PAULO (Kyodo) -- A ceremony to mark a farewell to Japan Airlines Corp.'s Sao Paulo-Narita services was held at Guarulhos International Airport in Brazil Monday evening before the last flight left for Japan.

Since JAL, now under the state-backed rehabilitation process, launched the longest flight service from Japan in 1978, many Japanese-Brazilians have come and gone between the two countries.

A 63-year-old woman who emigrated from Nagasaki Prefecture to Brazil at the age of 15 and now lives in Rio de Janeiro, said, "I miss it ... I felt at home whenever I got on board a JAL airplane."

At the ceremony, a JAL official told the 250 passengers of the last flight, "We will be back to Sao Paulo after reconstructing our company."

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/news/20100928p2g00m0bu016000c.html

Haneda offers glimpse of international hub


Neat. Modern yet traditional.

This reminds me that Shanghai learned a lot from Tokyo in this aspect. There used to be only one Hongqiao Airport in Shanghai (20+ mins ride from downtown area by subway currently), then Pudong Airport was built far away from city centre. And Pudong is in charge of international and most cargo flights, while Hongqiao focuses on domestic flights. As Hongqiao traffic hub is being constructed, it also considers international flights (flights from Haneda to Shanghai arrive at Hongqiao). Shanghai airports are practically following the footsteps of Narita and Haneda:lol:

Source: JiJi.com
成田第３ターミナル建設へ＝北ウイングも拡張－「国際ハブ空港」アピール

成田国際空港を運営する成田国際空港株式会社（ＮＡＡ、千葉県成田市）が第３ターミナルの建設を計画していることが５日、明らかになった。また、空港敷地内にある機内食工場とホテルの移転を前提に、第１ターミナルの「北ウイング」を改築し、拡張する方針。空港機能を高め、「国際ハブ空港」としての存在感を国内外にアピールする。

第３ターミナルは、Ｃ誘導路の北側に沿った地域に建設する予定。第１と第２をつなぐ位置になる。旅客施設のほか飲食店やファッションの小売りなどもテナントとして入ることが予想される。建設時期は検討中だ。また、南ウイングよりも小規模で手狭となっている北ウイングを、南ウイングと同規模となるように拡張。機内食工場とホテル「エアポートレストハウス」の跡地となる約１万７０００平方メートルを利用する。

北ウイングは、米デルタ航空など国際航空連合「スカイチーム」加盟の世界の航空会社が利用しており、拡張によりスカイチームの利便性が大幅に向上する。（2010/10/05-20:28）

http://www.jiji.com/news/kiji_photos/20101005ax07b.jpg

Google Translation:

Narita Terminal 3 construction of extended-North Wing - "an international hub airport," Appeal

Narita International Airport Corporation, which operates Narita International Airport (NAA, Narita, Chiba Prefecture), 05 that plans to build a third terminal, said Saturday. The factory premise meals and hotel transfers in the airport site, in Terminal 1, "North Wing" for reconstruction and expansion policy. Improve airport functions, "an international hub airport," to appeal to an international presence.

Terminal 3, C will be built in the area along the north taxiway. Into the position connecting the first and second. Is expected to enter the fashion retail tenants as well as restaurants and other passenger facilities. Construction phase is under consideration. The north wing has become smaller than in the South Wing narrow, so as to extend the same scale as the South Wing. Meals and hotel plant, "Airport Rest House" to use the site as 17,000 square meters of.
North Wing, Delta United and U.S. Airways, "Sky Team" has been used by the member airlines of the world, which greatly improves the convenience of expanded SkyTeam.

http://building-pc.cocolog-nifty.com/photos/uncategorized/2010/10/07/chibanarita10101.jpg

http://building-pc.cocolog-nifty.com/photos/uncategorized/2010/10/07/chibanarita10102.jpg

I hope Haneda will commence more international routes to reclaim its position as an aviation hub in North East Asia. To be frank, Narita is too far away from the major areas of Tokyo like Shinjuku, Shibuya and Ginza. As far as I know, South Korea has scheduled services between Incheon and 28 Japanese cities, while only 8 Japanese cities have flights to Narita. It's quite ironic that Incheon is now emerging as a gateway to Japan. Obviously, there is dire need to expand Haneda in order to maintain its competitive edge.

You're right. In my opinion, the main competitor of HND is ICN of Korea. From ICN, pax can fly to 28 destinations in Japan instead of 8 from NRT. Eventhough NRT is hub for 3 alliances: oneworld, skyteam, star alliances, flying to a medium city or prefectures in Japan is somehow inconvenient.

With the expansion of HND, pax will receive more convinient connections and save time. At this moment, the most important routes will move from NRT to HND and I guess, there must be other routes in plan of ANA, JAL and others.

I think the expansion of Haneda will make Tokyo a hub again. NRT was a failure because of the farming land.

Tourist info booths to open at Haneda stations (http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20101008a2.html)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/images/photos2010/nb20101008a2a.jpg
With the opening of an international terminal at Tokyo's Haneda airport later this month, railways are planning to set up information centers for foreign visitors in their new train stations with access to the facility.

Keihin Electric Express Railway Co., or the Keikyu Line, said Wednesday it will open a tourist information booth staffed by concierges skilled in English, Chinese and Korean at its station starting Oct. 21.

Tourists will be able to purchase train tickets and passes, the railway said. China's UnionPay credit card will be accepted.

East Japan Railway Co. will open a similar information office at a station operated by group company Tokyo Monorail Co.

Haneda's expanded international services will start Oct. 31, linking up with such locations as Bangkok, Singapore, Hawaii, San Francisco and Paris.

You're right. In my opinion, the main competitor of HND is ICN of Korea. From ICN, pax can fly to 28 destinations in Japan instead of 8 from NRT. Eventhough NRT is hub for 3 alliances: oneworld, skyteam, star alliances, flying to a medium city or prefectures in Japan is somehow inconvenient.

With the expansion of HND, pax will receive more convinient connections and save time. At this moment, the most important routes will move from NRT to HND and I guess, there must be other routes in plan of ANA, JAL and others.

There is no reduction of international routes operating via NRT for the time being. Many European carriers are not happy with the time slots at HND and therefore have chosen not to operate at HND. On the other hand, NRT is planning to increase its domestic route network from 8 to 20, and develop into a LCC hub.

Narita to increase flights by about 40% (http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201010100216.html)
Narita International Airport is expected to increase annual takeoff and landing slots by more than a third in a bid to fight off domestic competition threatening its status as the gateway to Japan and join the international race to become a hub in Asia.

Representatives from Narita International Airport Corp. (NAA), the national government, Chiba prefectural government, and nine municipalities will likely back a plan to increase slots from the current 220,000 to 300,000 annually at a meeting on Wednesday.

The increase in flights, to be implemented incrementally and completed by fiscal 2014, will initially involve more intensive use of existing facilities at the Chiba Prefecture-based airport, including allowing simultaneous takeoffs and landings using two runways.

Officials said the expansion will be achieved while maintaining the current operating hours of 6 a.m. through 11 p.m.

They plan to increase slots for international flights gradually from fiscal 2011. Domestic flight slots will also rise from 20,000 to around 30,000.

Narita Airport serves only eight domestic routes, but NAA hopes to double that number. The new routes offer the prospect of increasing the airport's competitiveness by allowing more passengers to use it as a hub connecting international and domestic flights.

The airport will increase parking spots for planes, and will consider building a new terminal when takeoff and landings exceed 270,000 per year.

NAA is also considering building a new terminal for Asian low-cost carriers and offering discounted landing fees for airlines starting new routes to Narita.

Since privatization in 2004, landing fees have fallen to about two thirds of the cost of landing at Haneda, an NAA official said. The airport has also benefited from the opening in July of a new rapid rail link connecting it to central Tokyo in as few as 36 minutes.

But Narita Airport also faces fierce competition from airports inside and outside Japan. The rise of Incheon International Airport in South Korea and other key Asian destinations as regional hubs has threatened its international status, while the upcoming opening of a fourth runway and new international terminal at Haneda is challenging it closer to home.

Haneda will initially handle only about 60,000 slots for international flights a year, one third of Narita's traffic, but it is seen as a major threat.

"We have reached a crucial stage as to whether Narita will continue to prosper or not. We must make a decision now, or face criticism in the future," said Kazunari Koizumi, mayor of Narita city, at an assembly meeting Oct. 1.

Koizumi was seeking local representatives' backing for the expansion plan, which was first pitched by local authorities in 2008.

Local residents have long been reluctant to accept increased noise pollution associated with more flights. Narita opened in 1978 in the face of fierce local opposition and after significant construction delays.

But many locals are now concerned about the falling status of what has become a major local employer. About 48,000 people are employed there, of which one third are Narita residents.

Ensuring the future of the airport, which has been labeled as "too far, too cramped and too expensive" by some critics, may mean locals accepting even more intrusions in their daily lives. In some districts, residents already deal with a flight every two minutes at rush periods.

The assembly submitted a statement to the mayor reminding him that "the prosperity of the city and airport are based upon the tolerance of the residents toward noise pollution."

Bigger, brighter Haneda opens doors (http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/business/T101013006221.htm)
The Yomiuri Shimbun
An extension of the second terminal at Tokyo's Haneda Airport opened for use Wednesday, in anticipation of an increase in passenger numbers after the introduction of regular international flights at the end of this month.

The completion of the 50,000 square meter extension, which has six above-ground floors and two basement levels, boosts the terminal's total floor space to about 250,000 square meters.

The number of luggage inspection areas will increase from two to four to cope with the extra passengers.

Passengers can relax in the departure lobby on the third floor, which is furnished with tables and chairs that showcase sophisticated designs from around the world.

The refurbished terminal also has a museum, the first in a domestic airport. "The departure lobby looks brighter than before, with sunlight coming through the glass wall," said a 61-year-old man from Ota Ward, Tokyo, who frequently visits the airport to photograph aircraft.
(Oct. 14, 2010)

Tokyo's Haneda Airport gets its first Airbus A380 visit
Posted by Aubrey Cohen at October 15, 2010
http://blog.seattlepi.com/aerospace/archives/225053.asp?from=blog_last3

Airbus' A380 landed Friday for the first time at Tokyo's Haneda International Airport, the 120th airport to accommodate the super-jumbo jet.

"I'm pleased and proud to be in Tokyo-Haneda to welcome the A380 for the first time," Rainer Brerle, Germanys minister of Economics and Technology, said at the welcome ceremony, according to a news release. "I look forward to seeing the Airbus flagship aircraft becoming a regular visitor here in Haneda for the decades to come."

The test A380 confirmed the readiness of Haneda's new international terminal by performing various airport compatibility checks before flying on to Sapporo's New Chitose airport.

Stephane Ginoux, chief executive officer of Airbus Japan, said: "It is an honor for us to be part of this historical event strengthening the role of Tokyo as a hub in Japan and as a key gateway to Asia. We believe the A380 will soon be flying in and out of Haneda and that it could also serve the world's densest route, between Haneda and Chitose, in the future as well."

Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa and Air France currently fly the A380 in and out of Tokyo's most-distant Narita Airport.

http://blog.seattlepi.com/aerospace/library/a380haneda.jpg
German Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle speaks in front of an Airbus A380 at the new international terminal of Haneda International Airport in Tokyo on Friday. (TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images)



Airbus superjumbo flies to Haneda airport for 1st time
(Mainichi Japan) October 15, 2010

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The world's largest passenger airplane, the Airbus A380, on Friday flew to Tokyo's Haneda airport for the first time to check whether the airport's soon-to-open new international terminal can handle it.

The superjumbo flew from France, where the manufacturer is based, to the terminal, which is scheduled to open next Thursday. The jet will head to New Chitose Airport serving Sapporo, Hokkaido, on Sunday.

During the stopover, various checks will be conducted, including whether the airport's passenger boarding bridges fit the double-decker wide-body plane's doors.

The jets are often too big for a taxiway and the number of airports that can accommodate them is limited. They also generate major wake turbulence when they depart and force succeeding planes to wait longer than usual before taking off.

Haneda is not accommodating A380 on the grounds that they could significantly affect other passenger flights during its crowded daytime operating hours.

But they could be accommodated late at night and in the early morning when the traffic volume is low, according to airport authorities.

They have been flying to Narita International Airport near Tokyo since 2008 on flights by operators including Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa.

羽田空港、国際化で記念式典

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羽田空港の新国際線ターミナルが今月２１日に開業するのを前に１６日、記念式典が開催されました。午後からの祝賀会には菅総理大臣も出席しました。

　記念式典には馬淵国土交通大臣や石原東京都知事のほか、政府の観光立国ナビゲーターに任命されている、人気アイドルグループ『嵐』のメンバーも出席しました。

　「羽田空港が変わると日本が変わる。僕自身ワクワクしています」（嵐・松本潤さん）

　羽田空港では今月２１日に新しい国際線ターミナルビルが開業するほか、４本目の滑走路の運用も始まり、発着枠が大幅に拡大されます。また、３１日からはこれまでの中国、韓国などのアジア路線に加え、ヨーロッパやアメリカ、東南アジアなどを結ぶ路線も新たに開設されて、世界１７都市と結ばれることになり、本格的な国際空港に向け、第一歩を踏み出すことになります。

　「いよいよ国際的にみてもハブ空港にふさわしい空港になり、新たな成長へのスタートにするきっかけになると期待しています」（菅直人 首相）

　午後からは菅総理も出席して祝賀会が行われ、羽田空港は、来週に迫った新ターミナルのオープンに向けてカウントダウンに入りました。（16日15:16）

http://www.iwate-np.co.jp/newspack/s_image/PN2010101601000231.jpg

Tourist info booths to open at Haneda stations (http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20101008a2.html)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/images/photos2010/nb20101008a2a.jpg

Woow, people can play the car racing game in the airport !!! Seems so much fun!!

Referring to previous post #166 , the following article provide a glimpse of what exactly the expansion plan of the passenger terminals is about.

Narita Airport Plans Big ExpansionThe Yomiuri Shimbun 2010/10/14

Narita International Airport Corp. is planning an expansion of the airport that will involve the construction of a new terminal exclusively for low-cost carriers (LCCs), as well as the expansion of existing terminals to reinforce its role as an international hub, informed sources said.

The planned expansion is designed to accommodate an increase in takeoff and landing slots, which are expected to rise about 40 percent from the current 220,000 a year to 300,000 in fiscal 2014, the sources said.

By expanding the network for domestic flights and making connections easier, the airport operator wants to reinforce Narita's role as a hub airport partly to compete with the internationalization of Haneda Airport in Tokyo.

The airport corporation reached a final accord Wednesday on the increase in landing slots at a four-party meeting of the corporation, the central government, the Chiba prefectural government and nine municipalities near the airport. Based on the agreement, the company will decide on the expansions and the new terminals later this month, the sources said.

The LCC-exclusive terminal will most likely be built to the south of the 1st terminal. The airport operator hopes to see this new terminal operational in fiscal 2013, after investment of between 3 billion yen and 5 billion yen. Australia's Jetstar Airways is the only LCC currently serving Narita, but AirAsia X of Malaysia, a leading Asian discount carrier, will very likely begin flying to Narita, while other budget airlines such as Cebu Pacific Air of the Philippines are reportedly interested in serving Narita.

The airport corporation plans to halve the landing fees for any new international airline that serves Narita starting next spring, with the fee for a Boeing 777-200 to be a little more than 220,000 yen.

In fiscal 2014, when arrival and departure slots are expected to rise to 300,000 a year, no-frills airlines are expected to account for about 10 percent of all landings at the airport, making it necessary to build a terminal exclusively for LCC, an official of the airport operator said.

Meanwhile, the corporation also plans to improve the existing terminals. By expanding and linking the current two terminals as early as fiscal 2014, the operator plans to consolidate landings of the three major airline alliances to one terminal each. To be specific, the 1st terminal will be allotted to Star Alliance member airlines, including All Nippon Airways, the 2nd terminal to oneworld members, including Japan Airlines, and the terminal expansion for SkyTeam members, including Delta Air Lines. These consolidations will facilitate connections between flights operated by partner airlines.

In the meantime, landing slots for domestic carriers will be expanded from the current 20,000 a year to about 30,000. The airport operator plans to double the number of domestic routes at Narita from the current eight--including Sapporo, Hiroshima and Naha--to possible candidates such as Kagoshima, Niigata and Kitakyushu. This expansion will make connections between domestic and international flights easier, the sources said.

Japan upgrades Haneda airport
TOKYO — The full-fledged opening of Tokyo's Haneda airport to international flights will bring more foreign travellers, the transport minister said Saturday as Japan pushes ahead with efforts to promote tourism.

"I believe more foreign travellers will visit regional cities via Haneda by using extensive domestic networks as regular international flights start," Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Sumio Mabuchi said.

"I hope this will lead to their discovery of new tourist attractions and tourism routes," Mabuchi told a ceremony at Haneda celebrating the completion of a fourth runway and a gleaming new terminal that is to open Thursday.

Haneda is to begin handling regular extensive international flights this month after a three-decade break, as Japan ties to fend off competition from rising Asian rivals and make tourism one of driving forces of the country's future growth.

The airport is currently limited to domestic flights and a limited number of flights to and from a few East Asian cities, leaving it in the shadow of the larger Narita international airport outside the capital.

Haneda is far more convenient for travellers, being located a mere 20 minute monorail ride from the heart of Tokyo. It takes more than double the time to reach Narita, which is located 60 kilometres (40 miles) from Tokyo.http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hhhCRML-ZC2yz7wRGWfIP7XTUwQg?docId=CNG.593f1e4f6a2d705601bddc80ee51c323.4f1

The airport operator plans to double the number of domestic routes at Narita from the current eight--including Sapporo, Hiroshima and Naha--to possible candidates such as Kagoshima, Niigata and Kitakyushu. This expansion will make connections between domestic and international flights easier, the sources said.

I just wish they would increase the number of flights between Sapporo and Narita- the existing few flights are always booked up, frustratingly mainly by travel agencies that don't release seats until the last minute.

i'm been following this thread for awhile wandering about the title, shouldn't it be renamed to Japan Aviation or so

there's already a thread for Japan Air News

成田の格安航空専用ターミナル、１３年度オープンへ
[Asahi.com 2010/10/16]

成田国際空港会社（ＮＡＡ）は１５日、格安航空会社（ＬＣＣ）専用のターミナルを新設し、２０１３年度にもオープンする方針を固めた。関西空港に続いて首都圏空港でも専用施設の新設が決まることで、日本でのＬＣＣ就航が本格化しそうだ。

　成田には、これまで主に既存の大手航空会社が就航してきた。だが、羽田空港の第４滑走路が２１日に開業し、３２年ぶりに本格的な国際空港に生まれ変わるほか、アジアのハブ（拠点）空港との競争も激化。成田の年間発着枠を２２万回から３０万回に広げることに地元が合意したのに伴い、ＮＡＡはＬＣＣの受け入れ態勢を早急に整える必要があると判断した。

　ＬＣＣ専用ターミナルは商業施設などを省き、必要最小限の機能にとどめる。投資額を抑えることで施設使用料を安くし、運航コストを下げたいＬＣＣの要請に応える。候補地には、空港南側の「整備地区」と、第２ターミナル隣の二つが挙がっている。

　一方、荷物の積み下ろしや機体の誘導などの地上業務についても、ＬＣＣ側が委託費の高さを指摘していることから、低価格で請け負うことができる新たな受け皿作りの検討を進めている。成田では現在、主に日本の航空会社の子会社が担っているが、会社更生手続き中の日本航空は規模を縮小する見通しで、その穴埋めをする狙いもある。

　ＬＣＣをはじめとする新規就航会社に対し、着陸料を割り引く優遇策も検討中だ。

　ＬＣＣは最近、欧米だけでなくアジアで勢力を伸ばし、日本でも昨年から関西空港を中心に就航が相次ぐ。観光立国を成長戦略の目玉にする政府も、ＬＣＣがアジアの観光客を呼び込むのを期待する。

http://www.asahi.com/travel/news/images/TKY201010150547.jpg

Weekends overseas made easy / New Haneda Airport runway will help travelers jaunt abroad (http://newsonjapan.com/html/newsdesk/article/84528.php)

Haneda Airport began using Runway D--its fourth--and a new international terminal Wednesday. Regular international flights will resume Oct. 31 for the first time in 32 years. By February next year, Haneda will be connected with 17 foreign cities. Located close to the center of Tokyo, the internationalization of this airport is expected to bring about many changes. In anticipation of more travelers at Haneda Airport, nearby hotels have started to let people use hotel rooms for several hours at discounted prices, to rest before late night departures or after early morning arrivals.

7SKWYlZdKnE

The opening of the new international terminal at Haneda was all over the morning TV news broadcasts today. The first flight to arrive was a flight from Hong Kong, and the first departure was a flight to Seoul Gimpo AP, which gives you an idea of the Asian region emphasis of the market this airport serves.

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/tokyo-opens-new-international-airport-in-central-location-20101021-16vcb.html

oops

Here's a video on the expansion of terminal 2... I think the classical music playing in a somewhat dimmed lighted arrivals lobby and the deck at night were the 2 best points that stood out to me the most...What do you guys think?

6RGdit-PImY&feature=fvsr

New terminal opens at Haneda (http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20101022a2.html)

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/images/photos2010/nn20101022a2a.jpg
First-comers: Passengers from an All Nippon Airways flight from Hong Kong arrive Thursday at the newly opened international terminal at Haneda airport in Tokyo. KYODO PHOTO

By KAZUAKI NAGATAStaff writer
Rainy weather could not dampen the festive mood Thursday at Haneda airport in Tokyo as it inaugurated a new international terminal and a fourth runway, keys to turning the airport into a 24-hour global aviation hub.

The new terminal, as well as the new 2,500-meter runway, received favorable responses from passengers and visitors.

"Accessibility is great. It's really convenient," said Masakuni Yajima, a 42-year-old Yokohama resident.

Yajima, who came by car to check out the new terminal, said it took about an hour to get to Haneda, which is much easier to reach from Yokohama than Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture. He said he is excited about Haneda's new international flight operations.

From Oct. 31, Haneda will host regularly scheduled international flights for the first time in 32 years. This winter, Haneda will be connected to 17 cities in 11 countries or regions. Destinations include San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vancouver, British Columbia, Beijing, Seoul, Bangkok and Paris.

Currently, Haneda mainly handles domestic flights and only short-haul charter flights to and from four overseas destinations — Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Under a government policy, all international carriers apart from a Taiwanese airline shifted to Narita when it opened in 1978.

As for Haneda's new international terminal, Yajima said the Edo-style shopping arcade on the fourth floor will probably be a popular draw for foreign tourists.

"It might look too much for Japanese people, but I think many foreign visitors will be pleased."

Mitsue Sato, a 40-something woman from Chiba Prefecture, visited the terminal just before her trip to Okinawa with friends.

"We wanted to check out (the shopping arcade)," Sato said. "I like it. It has good Japanese atmosphere."

Lines of people waited outside the many restaurants in the shopping area, the most crowded part of the terminal, Thursday.

Early morning on opening day:
Source: http://thankyou2200.blog.so-net.ne.jp/ (http://thankyou2200.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2010-10-22)

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/9422/1220110.jpg

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/5170/1220111022ba.jpg

Left of here are the new train stations, while to the right is the observation deck.

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/3695/12201128c82c.jpg

"Sky Tree" columns

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/102/1220114a072d.jpg

http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/4122/12201184c936.jpg

Third floor, shops.

http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/3931/1220120268ca.jpg

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/9320/12201212c6a1.jpg

Quickly displays which stores and restaurants are open and which aren't.

http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/6886/1220122b80ff.jpg

http://img576.imageshack.us/img576/7711/12201238d1e0.jpg

"Edo Village"

http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/5854/1220124fd24a.jpg

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/4113/1220127.jpg

Fourth floor, observation deck.

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/3886/122013190944.jpg

http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/5233/12201372ad5f.jpg

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/2627/1220138e39cf.jpg

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/807/122013972357.jpg

Too early in the day for the other stores, which haven't opened yet.

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/7981/12201449ba17.jpg

Going from fourth to third floor. Looks like a film set.

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/9109/122014749c61.jpg

西尾アナがカンペ棒読み:)

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/3013/1220152b7838.jpg

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/1218/1220154f8eeb.jpg

Second floor, arrivals lobby domestic check-in.

http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/9491/1220164efa26.jpg

Free shuttle connects to the domestic terminals.

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/281/1220165e0de2.jpg

Domestic ground transportation.

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/9629/12201662c934.jpg

Bus departure boards.

http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/391/1220167b679c.jpg

http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/9815/1220168d2580.jpg

Moving to the Keikyū Station, the Tōkyō Monorail passes directly above.

http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/7769/122017682c62.jpg

Bus terminal.

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/2048/12201771f585.jpg

Midway descending down to the Tōkyō-bound platform.

http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/2420/1220180.jpg

http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/7737/122018517052.jpg

^^^^^^^^
Very nice !! :cheers:

Haneda is officially my favorite airport in the world now!! :banana:

Will this terminal make Haneda the busiest airport by passenger traffic? It's currently #5 and only significantly behind Atlanta. 2-4 are only a few thousand ahead.

「羽田、５本目の滑走路(5th Runway)も考える」　国交相さらなる拡張検討
2010.10.16 14:43

馬淵澄夫国土交通相は１６日、羽田空港の再拡張事業の記念式典後、記者団に対し、「将来的に５本目の滑走路の建設を考えていくことも課題の一つだ」と述べ、国際拠点（ハブ）空港に向けさらなる拡張を検討する考えを示した。

羽田では２１日から第４滑走路の運用が始まり、国際線の発着枠が６万回（昼間と深夜・早朝で３万回ずつ）となる。今月末には３２年ぶりに国際定期便が復活。訪日外国人の誘致につながると期待されている。

ただ、アジアでは韓国の仁川空港などがすでにハブとしての存在感を発揮している。馬淵氏は「現時点で肩を並べるレベルに達していない」と指摘。「２拠点一体でのハブとして展開していきたい」と述べ、成田空港と合わせて競争力を高めていく方針を強調した。

式典には、東京都の石原慎太郎知事も出席。石原知事は祝辞の中で、米軍横田飛行場（福生市など）の空域内に、日本の航空機が入れない問題に触れ、「日本の空を日本人のものにしようじゃないか」と、政府に横田の空域問題の決着を迫る場面もあった。

これについて、馬淵氏は「日米関係にかかわることだ。今後、外交問題として、安全保障上の関係の中でどう考えていくかだ」と述べるにとどめた。

Haneda is officially my favorite airport in the world now!! :banana:

Will this terminal make Haneda the busiest airport by passenger traffic? It's currently #5 and only significantly behind Atlanta. 2-4 are only a few thousand ahead.

It is quite possible that Haneda will enter the top ten list in Skytrax survey next year.

Very nice the new airport, edo village is very curious and beautiful.

^^Interesting, now they're thinking about making a 5th runway and make it into a 'hub' airport.

Never heard of SkyTrax, but according to them there are only three airports in the world that received 5 stars:

Hong Kong, Incheon, and Singapore's airport. Though, it's not clear what the ranking is within these 3 airports.

^^Interesting, now they're thinking about making a 5th runway and make it into a 'hub' airport.

Never heard of SkyTrax, but according to them there are only three airports in the world that received 5 stars:

Hong Kong, Incheon, and Singapore's airport. Though, it's not clear what the ranking is within these 3 airports.

For recent years, the airport ICN, HKG and SIN are always in top 3. There must be a large distance between them and the fourth airport like MUC or ZHR.
HKG has been the best airport of the world for 7 years. But right now, ICN and SGN have surpassed HKG. In 2009, ICN was the best for first time. And in 2010, SIN took over the title, push ICN and HKG to No.2 and No.3 respectively.

It is quite impressive that 3 airports of Japan are in top 20. They are NRT, NGO and KIX. After watching some pics and clips introducing HND, I think HND will get a good attention of skytrax and hope it will be the fourth airport of Japan in top 20.

There is no reduction of international routes operating via NRT for the time being. Many European carriers are not happy with the time slots at HND and therefore have chosen not to operate at HND. On the other hand, NRT is planning to increase its domestic route network from 8 to 20, and develop into a LCC hub.

Are you sure? for example, I have read that JL would move the flight to/from SFO to HND and NRT - SFO will be suspended.
The european carriers are not so happy about slot time in HND. But that doesn't mean they won't operate some flights. Until now, AF and BA have announced flight between CDG, LHR and HND. Only LH is very disaapointed with schedule in HND.
Increasing domestic network and frequence are really great. I guess both NH and JL will use their first 787 for operating these new routes.

Hey guys I changed the thread title to post all things about japanese airports and companies. Should we make a thread for the airports? Should we add an entire infrastructure subforum??

Japan, US to implement 'open skies' deal (http://www.hindustantimes.com/Japan-US-to-implement-open-skies-deal/Article1-617571.aspx)Japan and the United States will implement an "open-skies" deal on Monday, aiming at liberalising air traffic, with Tokyo also eyeing expanding similar pacts within Asia to include Tokyo's major airports. Tokyo and Washington in December agreed to the deal, allowing carriers from the two countries to adapt to growing demand and ending a half-century accord that restricted flights.

Japanese Transport Minister Sumio Mabuchi and US Ambassador to Japan John Roos will announce the official implementation of the deal later Monday.

With the open skies pact taking effect, it will allow carriers to decide routes and the number of flights between the countries.

Washington has given the green light to Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways after they both sought immunity from US anti-trust laws to allow further cooperation with their partners, such as coordinating prices.

"It is significant that Japan and the United States will introduce an open-skies pact covering the Pacific, one of the biggest aviation zones," said Takahiko Kishi, an aviation analyst with Mizuho Investors Securities.

"The open-skies accord is expected to allow Japanese and US carriers to form alliances freely and do business more effectively, leading to cost cuts and more flexible decision-making in a tough business environment."

Japan Airlines, which is in the midst of a state-led restructuring after declaring bankruptcy earlier this year, is part of the Oneworld alliance with American Airlines.

American persuaded JAL to remain part of the alliance earlier this year after a push by Delta Air Lines to lure it into its rival SkyTeam grouping.

In August JAL announced details of a rehabilitation plan that will see thousands of job cuts as well as route closures and a debt waiver.

All Nippon Airways is a member of the Star Alliance with newly merged United Airlines and Continental Airlines.

In a related move, the Japanese government is aiming to widen a similar pact with Asian countries, which would allow new airlines and budget carriers to enter Tokyo's Narita and Haneda airports, the Nikkei daily said Monday.

Japan is aiming to widen deals with nine Asian nations and regions, including South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore as it looks to expand the number of landing slots at the Tokyo airports, the Nikkei said.

It also aims to sign similar deals with China, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines and others in the near future, it said.

Haneda airport opened a new runway and passenger terminal last week to make it the city's second international hub and boost the capital's stature as an Asian gateway.

There are some rumors that JL has canceled the backlog 77W. That means they would have only 14 77W instead of 19. However, another Oneworld carrier, AA, will take over this order and expend the network between US and JP. JL now will concentrate more on regional and domestic route and help AA widen the destination through code share.

Are you sure? for example, I have read that JL would move the flight to/from SFO to HND and NRT - SFO will be suspended.
The european carriers are not so happy about slot time in HND. But that doesn't mean they won't operate some flights. Until now, AF and BA have announced flight between CDG, LHR and HND. Only LH is very disaapointed with schedule in HND.
Increasing domestic network and frequence are really great. I guess both NH and JL will use their first 787 for operating these new routes.

I am only aware that JL is to begin HND-CDG-HND service soon; haven't heard of anything about AF service via HND.

Further to Post#341 on page 18, here is an article updating the expansion of the Haneda International Passenger Terminal.



羽田、国際線用旅客ターミナルを再拡張へ
2010年10月26日 読売新聞


国土交通省は２６日、３２年ぶりに国際定期便の運用を再開する羽田空港の新国際線旅客ターミナルを、２０１３年度をめどに再度拡張する方針を固めた。

国際線発着枠が１３年度に一段と増え、混雑が予想されるためだ。羽田は拡張でビジネス需要を取り込むとみられ、観光需要を主とする成田空港との新たな国際線のすみ分けが進みそうだ。

国際線の再拡張は、出発ロビーなどがある国際線ターミナルを増築する。さらに、国際線ターミナルの北側、夜間の駐機場となっている場所に、新たなターミナルを建設する。国際線ターミナルと国内線ターミナルを結ぶ空港アクセス道路をまたぐ構造で、国際線ターミナルとＬ字形につなげる。搭乗口は現在の１０か所から計２０か所程度に倍増させる。総工費は１０００億円を超えるとみられる。

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/photo/20101026-332802-1-N.jpg

ad50939 when will you go to Haneda? :)

I am only aware that JL is to begin HND-CDG-HND service soon; haven't heard of anything about AF service via HND.

sorry, I have misunderstood. Yeah, JL will begin to operate this route, not AF.
Can someone tell me, why there are 4 slot per day for the route Germany - Japan? I know that there are more Japanese people who work and live in Paris, London than any cities in Germany. About 6500 Japanese reside in Düsseldorf. Could the route DUS - HND be efficient?

(Mainichi Daily News) Perspectives - October 22, 2010
Airports as Cultural Centers
By Dr. Nicole Rousmaniere, founding director of the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures

Airports are, of course, gateways. Almost every international encounter begins at an airport. But recently these terminals offer a new cultural destination.

I became aware of this twist when I spent a few pleasurable hours in Narita International Airport's Terminal One. I shopped at Tsutaya book store; I picked up a few odds and ends at Uniqlo and Muji; I then viewed the "new Wa" objects on offer (traditional Japanese designed objects with a twist); I even purchased a new pair of reading glasses made to order (too much computer work, not age, I like to tell myself). And to finish it all off, I had a truly delicious last bowl of wakame soba, and then a latte at Starbucks. It was only then that I began my travel journey to Heathrow.

In point of fact, airports all over the world are becoming shopping malls, cultural centers and cultural ambassadors in their own right. A leader in the airport revolution is Schipol in Amsterdam, which boasts a branch of the Rijksmuseum in its terminal hub, enabling transit passengers to view Rembrandt while they are waiting for their flight. Recently, Schipol has upped the cultural stakes by adding the world's first airport library. In Seoul, Incheon has been voted best airport in the world for five years in a row and boasts a museum, contemporary art displays and live performances as well as wonderful shopping and restaurants.

Overall experience and passenger satisfaction count, but infrastructure is important as well. One of the busiest passenger and cargo airports in the world is Hong Kong, designed by Lord Norman Foster, and it also has the dubious distinction of being one of the most expensive, costing 20 billion U.S. dollars to build.

And what about the actual airport experience from the ground? The Swiss-born philosopher Alain de Botton was Heathrow's official writer-in-residence for a week last year and has come out with a book titled A Week at the Airport. He believes that airports are in fact "non-places" that are at the very center of our worlds and of civilization. It has almost come to the point where the travel industry can offer an instant travel experience without you ever leaving the airport.

Economic realities exist. A new development in Japan is the use of regional airports for budget travel abroad. Currently, seven foreign low-cost carriers are operating in these airports.

The Chinese budget carrier Spring Airlines started flights this summer from the new Ibaraki airport.

Haneda, though, appears to be the winner in the airport stakes. With its fourth runway and a new international terminal, foreign airlines are lining up to have their flights land there. Haneda is also upping the cultural stakes as well with discussions about a possible museum for Japanese crafts by living national treasures, a joint programme with the Tokyo National Museum for Modern Art.

It seems that the airport will be the place to be, to spend time and to be seen in the very near future.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/images/20101022p2a00m0na001000p_size5.jpg
An artwork on display in Terminal One of Narita International Airport. (Photo by the author)

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/images/20101022p2a00m0na002000p_size5.jpg
A CD and book retailer inside Narita International Airport. (Photo by the author)

English version of the airport expansion article above:

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/business/T101026004458.htm

*it seems the intention of the govt. to make Haneda the "business" international airport, while Narita will be aimed more for the tourist/leisure traveler, which jibes with the talk of building an outlet mall near Narita as well as a LCC terminal.

English version of the airport expansion article above:

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/business/T101026004458.htm

*it seems the intention of the govt. to make Haneda the "business" international airport, while Narita will be aimed more for the tourist/leisure traveler, which jibes with the talk of building an outlet mall near Narita as well as a LCC terminal.

I'm curious as to how the airport will handle future international expansion with no runway longer than 3000m. Isn't at least one 4000m runway required for ultra long haul flights? They could probably lengthen the two bay-side runways to that length if need be.

^^^^^^^^

There is a plan to extend Runway C by 360m to 3360m. The Ministry has also indicated the possibility of a 5th Runway in the future.

http://wanoku-u.cocolog-nifty.com/blog3/images/2009/09/25/9_25_1.jpg

I'm curious as to how the airport will handle future international expansion with no runway longer than 3000m. Isn't at least one 4000m runway required for ultra long haul flights? They could probably lengthen the two bay-side runways to that length if need be.

under every condition, the minimum requirement of runway's length can be change. It depends on the condition of runway itself (dry, wet, icy or sandy), weight of aircraft, attitude of airport, temperature, etc...

From HND, the longest flight is to JFK (10899 km) and the operated aircraft can be 777-200ER by AA. The attitude of HND is 6m, temperature in Tokyo bay is ussually mild. So if the runway is well maintenanced and the 777-200ER carries fewer tonnes, 3360m runway is enough.

Remember, the aircraft such as A388 can take off and land on HND. So don't worry about the runway's length.

Obviously, the fifth runway is on the plan and its length can be more than 3500m. In my opinion, an airport like HND just need a runway over 3500m for taking off the very large aircraft at MTOW. The rest can be done by 4 already-built runways.

Haneda intl terminal set for expansion / FY2013 plan to cope with extra flights (http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/business/T101026004458.htm)

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/photo/DY20101027101143862L0.jpg
The Yomiuri Shimbun

The transport ministry plans to expand Haneda Airport's new international terminal building as early as fiscal 2013 to cope with an expected 30,000 additional international flight arrivals and departures that year, sources said Tuesday.

Haneda is set to resume regular international flight services Sunday for the first time in 32 years. The Tokyo airport will handle 60,000 international flights a year--30,000 each during the daytime and from late night to early morning.

From fiscal 2013, the ministry plans to ramp up the annual number of daytime flights by 30,000, bringing the total to 90,000. The planned expansion is aimed at accommodating this surge in aircraft, which likely will cause serious congestion at the airport.

The increased flights likely will be used mainly by businesspeople. The airport expansion is expected to help these passengers board and disembark from aircraft without major delays, the sources said.

The expansion should help clarify the distinct roles played by Haneda and Narita airports in international flight services, with the latter mainly offering services for tourists, the sources said.

The project is estimated to cost more than 100 billion yen, according to the sources.
Under the plan, Haneda Airport's new international passenger terminal--which opened just last week and includes a departure lobby--will be enlarged. Another terminal will be built on the north side of this building, on land currently used as a nighttime aircraft parking apron.

An elevated walkway will link the planned terminal to the international terminal, forming an "L" shape. The walkway will cross an airport access road that links the international and domestic flight terminals.

The number of international boarding gates will be doubled to about 20, the sources said.

Using Haneda's four runways at maximum capacity and improving flight control systems likely will hold the key to coping with the additional 30,000 daytime flights.

Designed while the Liberal Democratic Party was in power, the newly completed international terminal was originally expected to handle 60,000 flights and 7 million passengers annually.

But after the Democratic Party of Japan took power last year, the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry's panel on growth strategy this spring proposed increasing the number of international flight slots at Haneda to 90,000 per year.

Transport minister Sumio Mabuchi also has been open to enlarging Haneda's facilities to accommodate more international flights.

Ministry officials and representatives of Tokyo International Air Terminal Corp., which operates the international terminal, have discussed how and when the expansion should be made, according to the sources.

Construction would need to start next year to complete the terminal in time for increased flight services in fiscal 2013. The government and businesses involved in the the project likely will sign a contract within this fiscal year, the sources said.

However, the start of services at the expanded terminal could be pushed back if the start of construction is delayed, which could cause construction costs to balloon in the rush to complete the job in a short time, the sources added.
(Oct. 27, 2010)

Full-fledged int'l flight services resume at Haneda (http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20101031p2g00m0dm002000c.html)

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Full-fledged international flight services resumed Sunday at Tokyo's Haneda airport for the first time in 32 years as a Japan Airlines plane left for San Francisco shortly past midnight.

Flights to Asian destinations, including Seoul, Beijing and Hong Kong, also departed the airport early Sunday morning amid a festive mood. Among them was a JAL flight that left for Taiwan shortly after 8 a.m.

JAL President Masaru Onishi said at the memorial event, "We hope we can contribute to enhancing ties (between Japan and Taiwan) in various fields, such as economy, culture and tourism."

With the opening of Narita airport in 1978, most international flight services were moved to the airport east of Tokyo, with Haneda airport focusing on domestic flights.

Of the three airlines now operating Haneda-Taiwan flights, China Airlines and Eva Airways provided the services for the route until 2002, when they move the operations to Narita airport.
(Mainichi Japan) October 31, 2010

Haneda lures international flights from local rivals (http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201011010281.html)

The revamping of Tokyo's Haneda Airport as an international facility has left local airports around the country in a bind.

When takeoff and landing slots were limited at Narita and Haneda airports, foreign airlines chose instead to fly in and out of smaller, local airports.

But with the two major Tokyo-area airports opening up more slots, foreign airlines will inevitably shift to those locations.

That will likely spur steeper competition among local airports and cause some to abandon the idea of serving international flights.

On June 4, the first anniversary of the opening of Shizuoka Airport, the head of Japan operations for Taiwan's China Airlines, Yang Chen, said that even 100 round-trip charter flights a year would not be enough to enable the airline to start regular flights at the regional airport.

After meeting Shizuoka Governor Heita Kawakatsu at the prefectural government office that day, Yang said a 40-percent increase in charter flights would be required for the airline to begin regular flights to and from Shizuoka Airport.

Because of special demand that came with the opening of the airport, China Airlines flew 106 round-trip flights to and from Shizuoka in fiscal 2009, carrying a total of 13,000 passengers.

However, with no chance of adding more charters, it seems impossible for Shizuoka Airport to gain regular China Airlines flights.

The airline operated regular flights to eight airports in Japan, and Shizuoka Airport was seen as a candidate for the ninth.

That changed when Haneda's expansion of its slots was announced.

It was decided last December that China Airlines would operate two daily round-trip flights between Haneda and Taipei, starting in October.

From April to October this year, there have been only 51 round-trip charter flights between Shizuoka and Taiwan.

"We can't cut flights at Narita, and we have new services at Haneda. We no longer can say 'Shizuoka' when asked by our head office where is the next candidate (for starting regular flights)," said a senior official at China Airlines' Japan office.

Officials at Ibaraki Airport, which opened in March, were hoping that AirAsia X, a Malaysian budget airline, would fly from Kuala Lumpur.

The airline's CEO, Azran Osman-Rani, said in 2008 that he would welcome new slots opening up in Ibaraki. At the time, Haneda and Narita were full.

But negotiations with Ibaraki officials were cut off when AirAsia X obtained slots at Haneda, starting in December.

"(AirAsia X's flights at Ibaraki) were 90 percent sure, but they were aborted because of Haneda's internationalization," said an Ibaraki official.

Many local airports have hung on to international flights only through subsidies from local governments.

According to an Asahi Shimbun survey of 22 local airports with international flights, there were at least 16 with financial support for international flights in fiscal 2009. Local governments provided 660 million yen ($8.18 million) as assistance to foreign airlines. The perks came in the form of discounts in landing fees and rents for airport facilities, among other things.

Of 52 routes whose seat occupancy rates were known, 40, or nearly 80 percent, were below 65 percent, said to be the break-even point for profitability.

That means unprofitable international routes are being subsidized by Japan's taxpayers.

At Akita Airport on Oct. 28, about 120 senior high school students on a school excursion disembarked from a Korean Air flight that originated in Incheon.

This year, 1,500 senior high school students are expected to take school trips via Korean Air's Akita-Incheon flights.

To increase the seat occupancy rates of the flights, the Akita prefectural government pays up to 30,000 yen per student for these trips, as well as 11,000 yen each for their passports.

The route was inaugurated in 2001 at the request of the prefectural government, hoping to lure more tourists from South Korea.

But the seat occupancy rates stalled at 50 to 60 percent, prompting the South Korean airline's board of executives to decide to drop the service in 2007.

Hearing that news, the then Akita governor rushed to South Korea and begged Korean Air to keep the flights, pledging more support.

Since then, it has become a twice-annual ritual for the Akita governor to visit Korean Air's head office when the airline renews its flight schedules.

The Akita prefectural government continues its generous financial support for Korean Air, discounting landing fees to one-15th of a regular rate.

This fiscal year, the prefectural government is spending more than 140 million yen on maintaining the Akita-Incheon flights, including the discount.

Nonetheless, local governments are facing financial difficulties, and there is no guarantee their financial assistance will continue.

On Oct. 21, when Haneda's new international terminal opened, a senior official of a foreign airline said, "Unlike Japanese airlines that operate domestic routes, we will withdraw right away if a particular route proves unprofitable."

The first Japanese airliner is going for the Airbus A380 and surprisingly it's not ANA or JAL.

Skymark To Buy Airbus A380 Aircraft

TOKYO (Nikkei)--Skymark Airlines Inc. said Monday that it will purchase up to six Airbus A380 superjumbos as it taxis toward international flight operations around fiscal 2014.

This would mark the first aircraft purchase for the Japanese carrier, whose current fleet consists of leased Boeing 737 midsize jetliners.

Known for low fares on its domestic routes, Skymark aims to expand its business by flying to destinations in Asia and elsewhere.

Skymark will become the third Japanese carrier to offer regular international flights after Japan Airlines Corp. and All Nippon Airways Co. It has already flown charter flights to Seoul and Guam.

full story:
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20101108D08JFN05.htm


Airbus Tries to Go Big in Japan With Discount Carrier Skymark

Skymark Airlines Inc., which began service in 1998, plans to buy at least four A380 superjumbos from Airbus next year and is considering flying the planes to the U.S. and Europe, Kazusa Naito, a spokeswoman, said by telephone today. The carrier now operates 15 Boeing 737s that seat about 150 passengers. The A380 typically seats 525, and can carry more than 800 people.

“I have a lot of concerns,” said Ryota Himeno, an analyst at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. “How are they going to cope if fuel prices surge? They need pilots with completely different licenses. It’ll cost more for maintenance. Fixed costs per seat are going to increase.”

Skymark hasn’t decided how many classes of service will be in the superjumbo, Naito, the spokeswoman, said. Skymark now flies only economy class in Japan. Skymark’s President Shinichi Nishikubo was the chairman of an Internet service provider before buying a stake in the carrier and becoming its largest shareholder in 2003. He owns 49 percent of the airline.

Skymark has been adding routes and hiring pilots as Japan Airlines Corp., which filed for bankruptcy in January, slashes service and retires its fleet of Boeing Co. 747s. Neither All Nippon Airways Co. nor Japan Airlines have bought A380s. All Nippon said in December 2008 that it had postponed a decision on whether to buy the A380 or Boeing’s 747 jumbo jet.

full story:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-08/airbus-targets-skymark-to-break-into-japan-as-domestic-carrier-breaks-out.html
I don't what is bigger news, the fact that they are going to buy the A380 or that they are going international.


Skymark Airlines 737-800 at Haneda

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/4336/skymark.jpg

Tokyo Haneda airport to ride Asia boom but not all are happy
17 October 2010
AFP

Seasoned travellers know that getting to Japan's main international gateway, Narita Airport outside Tokyo, is a journey in itself.

Trains to Narita take at least one hour from central Tokyo and car journeys sometimes stretch out for more than two in heavy traffic. One-way taxi fares cost hundreds of dollars.

Hopes are therefore high that the opening of rival airport Haneda to a full menu of international flights will boost Tokyo's travel hub credentials, being located a mere 20 minutes by monorail from the heart of the city.

Long limited to domestic and a few foreign flights, Haneda will on Thursday inaugurate a new runway and terminal that is set to eventually handle 60,000 flights and over seven million passengers a year, according to its operator.

While convenience is king, airlines will also be eyeing an opportunity to navigate out of the doldrums of the demand-sapping financial crisis and tap into a booming regional aviation market, say analysts.

"Flights from Haneda to North Asian destinations have great potential for travellers and airlines," said Geoffrey Tudor, a Tokyo-based analyst at Japan Aviation Management Research.

"Given the large populations in North Asia (China and Korea), potential air traffic demand is enormous," he said.

In particular, the Japan Tourism Agency aims to almost quadruple the number of Chinese tourists visiting Japan to 3.9 million in 2013 from 1.01 million last year, and in July eased visa requirements to encourage this.

But while Japan's two main carriers -- All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines -- and others such as Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific look to use Haneda to their advantage, not everyone is happy about the new arrangements.

Airlines from Europe and the United States have been handed unwieldy daily slots between 10:00 pm and 7:00 am, putting them at a disadvantage among travellers reluctant to take flights leaving in the early hours.

"Some of the long-distance foreign carriers are not happy at all with the late night and early morning scheduling," said Tudor.

"US carriers are reluctantly going along with the scheduling to compete with Japanese carriers, but the European carriers are not happy."

The current arrangement "does not satisfy customer expectations and operational requirements of flights to and from Europe", said Lufthansa Japan director Otto Benz.

"Further development is necessary in order to make Haneda a real hub for all carriers intending to utilize this airport."

ANA won anti-trust immunity to cooperate with US carriers United and Continental, which merged this month. The ruling applied also to Japan Airlines and American Airlines.

With an imminent "Open Skies" agreement liberalising travel between Japan and the US, the Japanese carriers hope to be given another boost. JAL is undergoing a state-led restructuring after declaring bankruptcy this year.

But industry players argue that while Haneda's new international services point to an improving picture, Japan is still one of the most regulated and expensive places in the world to land.

Japanese low-cost carriers such as Skymark and Air Do have been unable to offer the kind of heavily discounted fares associated with budget airlines in the United States and Europe due to high operating costs.

The ubiquitous Shinkansen or "bullet-train" network also often provides a fast and cheaper alternative for domestic travel in Japan.

While ANA plans to launch a low-cost carrier operating both international and domestic short-haul routes, its success will partly depend on whether Japan follows through on proposals to slash heavy fuel taxes and other costs.

Surcharges are currently around 26,000 yen (320 dollars) per kilolitre of fuel, far higher than London's Heathrow or New York's John F. Kennedy Airport.

"Japanese airports are still far too expensive compared with rivals," said Takahiko Kishi, aviation analyst at Mizuho Investors Securities.

"Despite the expansion of international operations, Haneda will still be behind its rivals as a regional hub. To compete with the likes of Seoul's Incheon, Haneda should further expand runways as well as cut landing costs."

Analysts say that Japan's subsidies for under-used domestic airports, the result of optimistic demand scenarios and pork-barrel politics, is a problem that keeps costs high.

The newest of Japan's 98 airports, Ibaraki, opened outside Tokyo in March aiming to lure budget airlines. But it has just one daily flight, by Asiana Airlines to Seoul, and already expects an annual loss of 20 million yen.

Today on Haneda

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4145/5171084543_0994ffdc8b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/fireballsg72/5171084543/)
VC-25A reserved in RJTT N-Area. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/fireballsg72/5171084543/) by fireballsg72 (http://www.flickr.com/people/fireballsg72/), on Flickr

The first Japanese airliner is going for the Airbus A380 and surprisingly it's not ANA or JAL.




I don't what is bigger news, the fact that they are going to buy the A380 or that they are going international.



for me, its the fact that they are going international!
i guess if they are going to do something big, they are literally going big!

Wow Air Force One. Must be for that APEC meeting

Anyways
I've never heard of this Skymark Airlines in my life (heck, I only thought that JAL and ANA were the only passenger airliners in Japan)

So I checked it out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skymark_Airlines

They started in the late '90s primarily as a low-cost budget airline serving domestic routes and a few routes to Seoul and Guam

And now, they're going full international and with A380 purchases to boot. How much money does this company have anyway???

Globe-trotters get a Narita welcome
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201011260313.html
As part of a government-backed drive to lure the world's top decision-makers to Japan, Narita Airport announced Thursday that it would increase its berths for small private jets.

The administration led by Prime Minister Naoto Kan has made attracting visits by top foreign business and government figures a priority in its economic growth strategy, but Narita has been turning down requests to use the airport because of restricted capacity.

The Chiba Prefecture airport will increase the number of spaces for small business jets from the current 10 to 15 from Dec. 16, Narita International Airport Corp. (NAA) said.

The maximum period that these jets can be parked at the airport will also be extended from one week to two weeks.

Haneda Airport in Tokyo has made a similar move. Since Oct. 31, when regular international services resumed at Haneda, the Tokyo airport has loosened regulations on business jets' use of airport facilities during daytime hours.

A limit of four flights a day was increased to eight; and the maximum parking period was increased from five days to one week.

According to the NAA, use of airport facilities by small jets peaked in fiscal 2006, but has been declining.

While government officials and corporate executives have sought to use the airport, the current limit means roughly 10 flights a month have been turned away, which raised concerns that Japan might be put at a disadvantage in attracting foreign investment and international conferences.

Increasing business jet traffic at airports in the metropolitan area has been identified as a key to enhancing economic growth by the transport ministry.

I've never heard of this Skymark Airlines in my life (heck, I only thought that JAL and ANA were the only passenger airliners in Japan)

So I checked it out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skymark_Airlines



Yeah, I've seen SkyMark planes here-- mostly when I go to Kobe; I can see the approach to Kobe airport from the Hanshin Expy Wangan route. I've never flown them though... Much cheaper for me to get to Osaka and Tokyo by train or car... But if I go to Fukuoka soon, I may try 'em out... If they have flights from NGO that is...

Open skies pact inked with Seoul
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20101223a7.html
Japan and South Korea have reached an open skies deregulation agreement for civil aviation between Narita airport and Incheon airport, the transport ministry said Wednesday.

The agreement will take effect in summer 2013, allowing Japanese and South Korean airlines to freely offer more flights and decide the number of passenger and cargo flights between the two airports, according to the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry.

The upper limit of annual air traffic at Narita airport will be raised to 270,000 that summer.

It is the first accord with other Asian economies under the government's policy of promoting open skies arrangements as part of its new growth strategy.

Japan is set to conclude open skies agreements with Singapore in January and with Malaysia in February.

^^Interesting, now they're thinking about making a 5th runway and make it into a 'hub' airport.

Never heard of SkyTrax, but according to them there are only three airports in the world that received 5 stars:

Hong Kong, Incheon, and Singapore's airport. Though, it's not clear what the ranking is within these 3 airports.

After seeing the pics of the new Haneda Airport, I think there will be nothing abnormal that Haneda enters the top ten for the first time next year.:)

Narita airport to have terminal building for budget airlines
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9KHDEJ00&show_article=1

NARITA, Japan, Jan. 4 (AP) - (Kyodo)—The head of the operator of Narita airport said Tuesday it will shortly start drawing up plans to build a new terminal building to be used only by low-cost carriers.
"We concur with the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry that a terminal building dedicated (to low-cost carriers) should be built," Kosaburo Morinaka, president of Narita International Airport Corp., told a news conference.

The airport operator wants to determine the specifics of the construction project, such as the timing of the building's completion and the size of the facility, as quickly as possible, he said.

Some low-cost carriers that will start serving the airport east of Tokyo as early as this fall will use existing terminal buildings for the time being, he said.

According to Morinaka, about a dozen foreign low-cost carriers have expressed a desire to use the airport and have asked the company to lower its landing fees and facility usage fees.

Negotiations are still under way between the carriers and the company, he said.

As for negotiations with the owners of land within the planned site for the airport's B runway, who continue to engage in farming there, the president said, "It is a crucial task for us to extend the runway to the south (where the farmers live), so we hope to find a solution by continuing the negotiations."

He expressed hope that the company will be able to use the land somehow, saying the landowners appear to have a desire to undertake "emergency evacuation" by moving their homes away from the runway site without actually selling the land.

Haneda's nighttime services falling short with travelers

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/rss/nn20110107f1.html

By TAKAHIRO FUKADA
Staff writer

Opening up Tokyo's Haneda airport to more international flights was supposed to make a lot of sense for travelers.

News photo
Making do: Passengers try to sleep on chairs in Haneda airport's international terminal. TAKAHIRO FUKADA PHOTO

But only open since October, the new international terminal has already sparked a raft of passenger complaints, particularly about the lack of amenities late at night and early in the morning, including inexpensive public transportation and even free shuttle bus service between terminals.

The criticism is in sharp contrast with Haneda's easy access from the city center during daytime. It takes less than an hour to get from central Tokyo to the airport, which provides flight connections to numerous cities around Japan.

But there is no hotel in the 24-hour international terminal, no trains or buses to and from downtown after around midnight, and effectively no free wireless Internet connection throughout the terminal.

The scale of the facility is disappointing to many travelers. Few restaurants and shops are open overnight and passengers have to make do, finding vacant chairs to try to get some sleep.

"What can you say about an airport terminal without a hotel," said Masahiro Yamaguchi, a 50-year-old investment banker and company manager who recently traveled to Singapore from Haneda.

Terminal 2, for domestic flights, does have a hotel. But 20-year-olds Narayan Lee and Cheryl Phua, who on a recent evening arrived from Singapore at around 11:15 p.m., said they couldn't get a room because the hotel was fully booked.

Adding insult to injury, it cost them ¥1,300 in taxi fare just to get back to the international terminal from Terminal 2 because the shuttle buses had stopped running for the night.

Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyu says it has 387 rooms. The Singapore Tourism Board, meanwhile, says its airport hotel, Crowne Plaza Changi Airport, has 320 rooms. Changi's three terminals also have transit hotels with a total of 73 rooms.

While passengers using Haneda late at night or early in the morning are forced to go by car or take a taxi because public transportation has stopped running, Singapore's tourism board says shuttle buses are available around the clock there, connecting hotels in the city and the airport.

The two Singapore travelers, Lee and Phua, considered taking a taxi to Shinjuku.

"A cab will be faster, but it will be more expensive," Lee said.

Other passengers also complained about the lack of nighttime public transportation.

Chet Thapa, a 29-year-old Indian cook from Kanagawa Prefecture, arrived at the terminal around 11:20 p.m. — even though his flight to Seoul would not be taking off until 6:25 a.m. the next day.

"Because my check-in time is 4 a.m., I can't get here in time by bus, by train," Thapa said. "If possible, I want a bus running early morning, around 3 a.m."

Toshio Tamamura, a 72-year-old company executive from Kanagawa Prefecture who was catching a 6 a.m. flight for Singapore, said Haneda's parking garage saved him a lot of money.

Compared with train services to and from Narita International Airport or staying at a nearby hotel, he said Haneda's parking fees are terrific.

The cost for a regular vehicle is capped at ¥1,500 per 24 hours and is even lower beyond 72 hours — a flat rate of ¥1,000 per 24 hours, said the terminal's operator, Tokyo International Air Terminal Corp.

Tamamura was lucky, however. "Those who can't drive would be in trouble" late at night or early in the morning, he said. "There's no point if you don't drive here."

Having arrived at Haneda around 9 p.m. and waiting for her connecting 6:50 a.m. flight to Sapporo, Angela Tsang, a 31-year-old airline customer service officer from Hong Kong, complained about the lack of free Wi-Fi access.

The wireless Internet service is free anywhere in the terminal — but only when viewing websites related to Tokyo International Air Terminal. Select travelers meanwhile get free access in private airline lounges.

"I understand in Japan maybe (Wi-Fi is) not very popular," Tsang said. But spending time in the terminal without it is "so boring."

With a Wi-Fi connection, "at least I could use my iPhone to search and chat with my friend," she said. "When travelers need to do something on the Internet for their booking, at least they can do it right away, instead of asking the airline people."

Tsang said she found that the pay computers in the terminal only accept Japanese coins, not bills. "I think they can improve this kind of facility. This should be basic."

Tsang also complained that the information desk didn't know about the opening and closing times of the domestic terminals, where she was refused entry by a security guard even after inquiring about the hours beforehand with the information counter in the international terminal.

"I'm so angry," said Tsang, who was carrying around a 27-kg snowboard. "Information counter staff should know very well about the terminal facility — opening and closing times."

After arriving at around 10:30 p.m., Paula Blanchard, a government employee from Arizona on her way to Okinawa, was waiting in the international terminal for a domestic flight at 6:05 a.m. "That's very inconvenient that I can't go to the terminal I need to be at," she said.

Because the shuttle bus service connecting the international and domestic terminals ends around midnight, Blanchard had to wait in the international terminal until 5 a.m., when the buses would start running again.

She was worried if she would have enough time in the domestic terminal. "When I get back to Terminal 1, I'm going to be in a panic," she said. "That's kind of stressful."

Yamaguchi, the investment banker and company manager, travels abroad around twice a month. He stressed that Haneda airport is too small compared with Changi in Singapore and Seoul Incheon International Airport.

"With this scale, it is clear that (Haneda) will never be able to become a hub if you look at those airports," he said. "Even combining Narita, Kansai and Haneda, they won't match up with their (rivals') sizes.

"Because there is no policy, goal or philosophy on airport administration, taxpayers' money is spent on making only half-finished ones and people's money is being wasted," he said.

Yamaguchi also complained that few shops in Haneda are open 24 hours.

While admiring Haneda's clean and pleasant image, Kim Sang Soo, a 43-year-old company manager from Busan, South Korea, waiting in the terminal for a 4:30 a.m. flight back home, likewise was disappointed that only a few shops are open overnight.

Kim said Incheon has bigger facilities and holds frequent events introducing Korean culture to its visitors.

"If you go to Incheon airport, you will feel Incheon airport is better than Haneda," he said.

Late at night and early in the morning, people were spotted sleeping in arrival and departure lobbies and the shopping area.

"In Changi, this won't happen because people can find places to rest," Yamaguchi said.

The Singapore airport's garden, lounge and movie theaters are open all night, according to its website.

"Services (provided at Haneda) are very far from good," Yamaguchi said.

A 39-year-old female government employee from Saitama Prefecture who didn't want her name used said she arrived from Seoul at around 3:20 a.m. and rested comfortably in one of the "refresh rooms" in the arrival lobby.

"Since I could rest there, I found it very convenient," she said.

Tokyo International Air Terminal says it has shower rooms that can be used for 30 minutes at a price of ¥800 or a small room equipped with a reclining chair, alarm clock and blankets for ¥1,000 an hour. But it has only 10 of these small rooms and six shower rooms, and a little after midnight one December night they were almost fully occupied.

Miyuki Tsukao, a spokeswoman for Tokyo International Air Terminal, said the company does and will continue to do anything it can to meet users' requests.

The passenger comments gleaned by this reporter "are also really the voices that customers have given us many times," Tsukao said. "We are coping with them wherever we can."

On the lack of public transport in off hours, Tsukao said the terminal operator can't solve the issue alone, but it hopes to continue to coordinate with the government and transportation operators "to improve (the situation) even a little."

Regarding shops' operating hours, Tsukao said the firm is asking tenants to extend them but can't force them to do so.

But Tsukao suggested there is no point in comparing Haneda with Changi because government policies between Japan and Singapore are so different.

"The service provided there is really wonderful," she said. "We can't do all it does."

JAL, American Airlines to cooperate on trans-Pacific routes
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201101120375.html
Japan Airlines Corp. and American Airlines Inc. announced Tuesday that they will start joint operations on 10 trans-Pacific routes from April.

The two carriers, both members of the Oneworld alliance, will initially concentrate on services such as the Narita to Chicago and Haneda to New York routes, but they expect to extend their coordinated operations later.

They are the first members of the world's three leading airline alliances to announce coordinated services on trans-Pacific routes under the Japan-U.S. open skies agreement.

Cooperation will involve, among other measures, coordinating flight schedules and introducing common fares on certain routes.

JAL will bring the departure time of its morning flight from Narita to Chicago forward 40 minutes, allowing connections to 45 flights to other destinations within three hours, up from the current 43.

Chicago is the biggest hub for connections to other U.S. destinations for passengers flying from Japan.

The two airlines also said they will give discounts on round trips involving both JAL and American Airlines flights. Passengers on both carriers will get common mileage points.

The airlines expect to save 13 billion yen ($156 million) by sharing airport lounges.

"We want to ensure the reconstruction of JAL through a strengthened alliance with American," Masaru Onishi, JAL's new president, told reporters Tuesday. JAL is in the middle of a rehabilitation process, after filing for bankruptcy protection a year ago.

The announcement comes after the Japan-U.S. "open skies" pact took effect in November, which in principle allows carriers to determine routes and flight frequency free from interference by aviation authorities.

Low-cost carriers elbowing their way into Japan's skies
Japan Times
Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2010

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/images/photos2010/nn20101221i1a.jpg
Flight of fancy: The first flight of Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia X arrives at Tokyo's Haneda airport from Kuala Lumpur on Dec. 9. KYODO

By MIZUHO AOKI
Staff writer

2010 was a landmark year for Japan's aviation industry: The government inked an open skies accord with the U.S. in October to further liberalize their civil aviation markets, and during the same month Tokyo's Haneda airport opened a new international terminal.

The bar was also lowered for foreign airlines to fly to domestic airports, including low-cost carriers that have the potential to alter the landscape of the nation's aviation industry, analysts say.

Following are basic questions and answers about budget carriers and their expected impact on Japan's aviation market.

What defines a low-cost carrier?

A low-cost airline would generally be one that offers cheaper airfare than mainstay rivals, probably because of lower overhead, and in many cases only has economy class seating. It would also presumably provide fewer in-flight services and sell tickets directly.

Low-cost carriers have also been known to offer flights at greater frequency, keep a simple inventory of same-model aircraft for maintenance and pilot qualification purposes, and focus on medium- and short-haul flights.

Not providing free meals and beverages, or entertainment systems or blankets, and being only economy class translates into more crowded cabins.

But low-cost carriers' actual business models vary. Malaysia-based AirAsia X offers long-haul flights. Others cater more to business passengers, and some do offer in-flight services.

South Korea's Air Busan offers free in-flight meals and drinks, including beer, for flights between Osaka and Busan, said Shinichi Minakuchi, supervisor at the airline's Osaka office.

How many foreign budget carriers currently serve Japanese airports?

Six overseas low-cost carriers currently fly regularly to and from Japanese airports, according to the transport ministry.

Australia's Jet Star was the first overseas no-frills carrier to launch services in Japan, at Kansai International Airport in 2008.

Other low-cost carriers include Jeju Air and Air Busan from South Korea, Philippine-based Cebu Pacific Air, Singapore's Jet Star Asia and AirAsia X.

Last July, China's Spring Airlines began offering charter flights connecting Ibaraki Airport and Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

South Korea's Jin Air Co., an affiliate of Korean Air, has applied with the transport ministry to fly to Kansai airport next March.

But the schedule has not been finalized yet, so it is still subject to change, the ministry said.

How cheap are low-cost carriers?

Although prices vary, they are said to be 20 to 70 percent cheaper than those of full-service carriers.

For example, the cheapest price for Air Busan's regular round-trip tickets between Kansai International Airport and Busan airport until the end of February is ¥16,000 (excluding taxes). The carrier, however, is also running a discount campaign, offering ¥9,900 round-trip airfare for 10 percent of its seat capacity.

Spring Airlines boasts ¥4,000 one-way flights (excluding taxes) from Ibaraki Airport and Shanghai's Pudong Airport, although this price is reportedly set for only about 10 percent of seats on a single flight.

How do budget airlines rate in terms of safety?

They pose no greater risk than other airlines, according to Fumiaki Isono, of Mitsubishi Research Institute.

"As long as a carrier uses the latest airplanes and has a decent business model like AirAsia X, then there is no difference (in the safety) between low-cost carriers and legacy carriers," Isono said.

However, people need to be careful if a budget airline cuts corners by using aging aircraft and skimps on maintenance fees, he added.

Is there a Japanese budget carrier?

Skymark Airlines is often referred to as a low-cost carrier.

The airline currently operates only domestic flights, but plans to expand its service to international flights in fiscal 2014, according to the carrier. Candidate destinations include London, New York and Frankfurt.

For the expansion, Skymark is planning to purchase Airbus A380s, the world's largest passenger plane. A purchase agreement with Airbus is expected to be concluded sometime next spring.

Also, ANA is scheduled to establish a new low-cost carrier in January by teaming up with Hong Kong-based First Eastern Investment Group, according to ANA President Shinichiro Ito.

Flight operations are expected to start in the second half of fiscal 2011.

Then there's Japan Airlines, which in January filed for bankruptcy. It, too, has entertained the notion of engaging in budget flights, but no decision has been made to date.

What's the impact of no-frills carriers on the nation's aviation industry?

It is a threat to Japanese carriers, analysts say.

"To put it simply, it has a negative impact on Japanese carriers in terms of revenues. When looking at overseas markets, a certain percentage of passengers have shifted from legacy carriers to low-cost carriers," Mitsubishi Research Institute's Isono said.

But on the other hand, if budget carriers bring more people to Japan, demand will undoubtedly increase, he said.

According to "Airline Haisen" ("A Lost Battle of Airlines") penned by aviation analyst Kazuki Sugiura, some 150 low-cost carriers operate worldwide and their shares of seat supply in the aviation market as of 2009 was 34 percent in Europe, 28 percent in the U.S. and 16 percent in Asia.

Are budget carriers going to take root here?

Isono thinks they will, but only for international flights.

Considering the stagnant economy, demand for cheaper flights will increase, he said.

Narita International Airport and Kansai airport are reportedly considering building new terminals specifically for budget carriers.

However, as for domestic flights, it is unlikely to change for a while because of strict regulations that set the bar high for new low-cost carriers to enter the domestic market, Isono said.

There is a plan to extend Runway C by 360m to 3360m. The Ministry has also indicated the possibility of a 5th Runway in the future.

http://wanoku-u.cocolog-nifty.com/blog3/images/2009/09/25/9_25_1.jpg

^^I searched everywhere on the internet, there's no information about where exactly would be this 5th runway! I guess that's because they haven't decided yet. Here is where I think it would fit in: Either a 4000m. long runway on the east side of the airport, along runway C, or a 2500m. one alongside the newly-built 4th runway. Or even better: both.

I mean, even if it may be early to speak about a 5th or even a 6th runway, they have to think about it if they want to stay in the run, right!

The 5th runway is most likely to be built parallel to runway C in the bay.


Here's a recent study by the Japan Civil Engineering Contractors Association:
http://www.dokokyo.or.jp/ce/ce1009/tokusyu_03.html

They consider 3 options for a capacity increase on the east side of the airport:

1. Move runway C 300m to the East (a slightly different approach will increase the capacity)

2. Close parallel runway, a new runway E built 760m from runway C

3. Open parallel runway, a new runway E built 1,310m from runway C


http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/2191/img27.gif

http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/3046/img28zoom.gif

It's clear that the capacity is higher with every option, but so do the costs. And there are also other things to consider like shipping routes especially with tall ships like Aircraft Carriers and the height of the container cranes in Tokyo harbor that could cause some problems.

Note that this is just a study and not real proposals, the governments can still choose for a different option.

I got it from the main construction weblog:
http://building-pc.cocolog-nifty.com/helicopter/2010/11/post-c5e4.html

^^Thank you Momo!
Sorry for the google maps link, apparently it was not working.:ohno: ...loosing my skills.

By the way, found this today.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110111004700.htm

Tourists overrun Haneda intl terminal

The Yomiuri Shimbun

A surprising name recently has joined the pantheon of popular Tokyo tourist spots--Haneda Airport's international terminal.

Since the international terminal opened in October, it has been inundated with visitors who came to the airport not for flights but to stroll the terminal itself. The sightseers outnumber genuine air passengers by more than 2-to-1 on weekends and holidays, according to the airport.

The terminal's shops, restaurants and travel agencies have been elated by the arrival of unexpected customers, given the sluggish economy. However, passengers are complaining about the difficulties they face trying to eat at the restaurants or even using toilets due to the congestion.

One of the international terminal's popular spots is the Edo Koji shopping area on the fourth floor, which was designed in the image of shopping districts in Edo period (1603-1867). The shopping area was crowded Sunday with families, especially those with children, because the day was the middle of a three-day holiday weekend.

More than 50 people lined up in front of the area's Setagaya ramen shop shortly after 1 p.m. that day, while the Takafuku sukiyaki restaurant posted a notice that customers would have to wait for about 120 minutes to enter the restaurant.

Many people waiting in front of the restaurants were not passengers taking flights. A 71-year-old man said he came from Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture, with his wife and a friend. The man said his hobby was to take photos.

"I came here to take photos of the remodeled airport," he said.

"I took enough photos, so I thought about having lunch. But it seems all the restaurants are full."

The terminal is run by Tokyo International Air Terminal Corp. According to the company, about 15,000 to 20,000 passengers arrive or depart at the airport on international flights each day.

The total number of visitors to the international terminal, including passengers, is about 20,000 to 30,000 on weekdays. However, the figure jumps to about 50,000 to 70,000 on weekends and holidays, the company said.

The number of sightseeing tours that includes a visit to the international terminal is also on the rise. Tokyo-based Club Tourism International Co. said it operates more than 100 tours a month that include the terminal as a tour destination.

"Tours are booked as soon as we include 'Haneda' in the title," a company official in charge of tours said.

According to Nippon Television City Corp., which manages Tokyo Tower, about 15,000 people visit the tower on weekends and holidays. Meanwhile, the average number of daily visitors to Ueno Zoo in Taito Ward over the three-day weekend that culminated in Monday's Coming-of-Age Day was about 12,000. A zoo spokesman said, "I didn't expect [the international terminal] to draw more than five times the customers we did [over the holiday]."

However, passengers using Haneda's international terminal have begun voicing complaints about the congestion. Kozue Tanaka said she was on her way home from a sightseeing tour to Shanghai and waiting for a connecting flight to Itami Airport in Osaka Prefecture.

"I thought it'd be a good opportunity to visit the new terminal, so I refrained from taking a direct flight to Kansai Airport. However, the congestion was beyond my expectations," Tanaka, 64, said.

Tanaka had about two hours to kill before her connecting flight to Osaka, but she got on a shuttle bus to a domestic terminal without having lunch. "I might miss my flight if I waited to enter the restaurants," she said.

Women formed a long line in front of a toilet on the terminal's fourth floor, the busiest floor for toilets in the entire terminal.

After receiving complaints from customers, Tokyo International Air Terminal has asked restaurants to increase the number of box lunches and snacks sold on a takeout basis. During busy hours, the company asks customers to use toilets on other floors of the terminal.

During the year-end and New Year holidays, the company increased the number of shuttle buses between the domestic and international terminals from three to five.

"The number of passengers using the international terminal was within our expectations, but the number of sightseers was overwhelming," an official of the company's planning department said. "We're discussing a variety of measures to avoid passengers from being troubled by the congestion."
(Jan. 12, 2011)

Haneda Airport last night while waiting for my flight to Bangkok

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entrance to edo town
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observation deck
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Does Haneda's new terminal have an observation deck?

^^^^ See post 428!

Retirement of 747-300

GMzMQisrJok

Oi1dMDc4nzM

3sz0c5aijTg

Official Press Release of JAL



http://press.jal.co.jp/en/release/201101/001728.html

http://press.jal.co.jp/en/uploads/tm_fig1_10.jpg

~ To reflect the commitment and determination of a New JAL ~

TOKYOJanuary 19, 2011:

The JAL Group (JAL) today will adopt a new corporate policy and announced its decision to change its logo from April 1, 2011; symbolizing a fresh start for the airline group with its strengthened commitment to society and reinvigorated determination of the management and all employees.

The motif that will be used is of a soaring Japanese red-crown crane with its wings extended in full flight - an auspicious icon of Japan representing the high spirits of the Japanese people and their sensitive attention to detail. First registered as a trademark of Japan Airlines in August 1959, the circular crane mark was painted on the entire fleet during the period of JAL’s international network expansion. It stayed a main feature of the JAL livery for more than 40 years and became an unmistakable image representing Japan Airlines and the country it connected the world with. Bearing this mark on its aircraft, JAL displayed the uniqueness and progress of Japan to the world and it often invoked a sense of pride and familiarity in many Japanese as well as its loyal customers.

The symbol of the crane has come to be associated with the nation’s distinct hallmarks of pristine quality and reliability. For customers, JAL is determined to safeguard these values of the Japanese culture and to continue reflecting its quintessential hospitality from the heart in the airline’s authentic services - a promise that is now embodied in the Group’s new corporate policy unveiled today.

"Japan Airlines started out as a pioneer and ventured on a path where no other company in Japan explored," said JAL Group President Masaru Onishi. "Today, we firmly resolve to recapture the unity and challenging spirit that our employees possessed at the time of JAL's founding, and together, we will propel the company forward over the hurdles that lie ahead to again stand at the forefront of this ever-evolving industry."

“Now, represented by the high-flying crane, we hereby renew our commitment to provide our valued customers with the highest levels of service, and to diligently raise our corporate value so that the JAL Group can once again contribute to the advancement of society.”

The first aircraft to be painted with the new logo will be a Boeing 767-300ER for international flights. With the exception of staff uniforms which will remain unchanged, corporate items bearing the current logo such as signage, name tags and stationery will gradually be phased out over the next few years.

JAL赤い「鶴丸」マーク復活へ　原点から再出発


経営破たんから19日で1年を迎える日本航空が午後に会見を開き、赤い「鶴丸」のマークを会社のロゴとして復活させることや新たな企業理念について発表しました。

　日本航空は、更生手続きを3月末までに終了させる方針ですが、赤い鶴丸をモチーフとしたロゴを3年ぶりに復活させることで、原点からの再出発をアピールしています。また、稲盛会長は、自らが中心となって策定した企業理念を発表し、社内にまん延していた「親方日の丸」の企業体質の一掃に今後も本格的に取り組む姿勢を明らかにしました。
　日本航空・稲盛和夫会長：「JALの官僚的な体質は、倒産をきっかけに皆さんが反省し、変わってきたと思う。なぜ、倒産したのか原因について議論しながら、再生するには幹部の意識を変える」
　一方、年末に整理解雇されたパイロットと客室乗務員146人が、会社側に解雇を撤回するよう求める裁判を東京地裁に起こしました。原告団は「解雇対象者の基準が不合理で、人員を削減する必要もない」などと主張しています。

Xdt5q4fHd-Q

JAL tops on-time arrival list of 33 major airlines
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/news/20110127p2g00m0bu060000c.html
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan Airlines topped the on-time arrival list for the world's 33 major airlines in 2010, ranking first for the second straight year, the airline said Wednesday, quoting a recently released report from U.S. information services firm Conducive Technology Corp.

The survey found 89.90 percent of JAL flights arrived no more than 15 minutes later than scheduled during the year, according to the airline, which is currently undergoing a court-supervised rehabilitation process.

JAL made a range of efforts to secure punctuality, including using employees from various sections to help clean planes after arrival if their departure was likely to be delayed, it said.
(Mainichi Japan) January 27, 2011

XUXgdo43km8

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kOsAOIg_wSo

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I'm not an otaku (I just watch Japanese anime and cartoons once a while) but man, those Pokemon Jet airplanes look totally awesome.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokémon_Jet

Man I wish I could ride in one someday.

Which reminds me:
Are there any flight schedules (from ANA) regarding the Pokemon jets? Like what destinations use the Pokemon jets and what times are they used and stuff like that?

Thanks and it's most definitely appreciated :)

Are there any flight schedules (from ANA) regarding the Pokemon jets? Like what destinations use the Pokemon jets and what times are they used and stuff like that?

According to the ANA website, Pokemon livery aircraft do not fly to regular schedules- you have to check on the day of the flight to be sure. This is probably to maintain maximum operational flexibility and to minimize juvenile disappointment (and parental outrage) which would arise when scheduled runs would be modified with equipment changes.

Tourists overrun Haneda intl terminal

This will pass. Co-workers who have visited the terminal to check it out were all disappointed with the size of the shop/restaurant area.

BSsCHwFmbYc

good video

y4koTNcJHb8

8Mv2zHHpkp8

ANA finalizes JV to launch Osaka Kansai-based LCC

ANA and Hong Kong-based First Eastern Investment Group said Tuesday they have "finalized" a joint venture agreement to launch a new LCC based at Osaka Kansai International. A JV company called A&F Aviation will own and operate the airline.

ANA and First Eastern announced their intention to form an LCC last September (ATW Daily News, Sept. 10, 2010). Osaka was chosen as a base because it is a 24-hr. airport and has excess capacity, ANA said.

Initial capitalization will be ¥30.1 million ($371,590) with ANA and First Eastern each investing ¥10 million and other investors adding ¥10 million. Another ¥15 billion ($182.8 million) will be raised from domestic Japanese sources before the carrier is launched in the second half of ANA's fiscal year starting April 1, ANA said.

The carrier, which will have an AOC separate from ANA, is expected to fly both domestically and to Asia/Pacific destinations, though specific routes and aircraft to be operated were not revealed. Ultimately, First Eastern's maximum holding in the carrier can be 33% under Japanese law. ANA is expected to hold around a 39% stake with other Japanese investors owning the rest.
.

Haneda Airport sees big boost in passengers, freight since opening int'l terminal
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/features/news/20110202p2a00m0na018000c.html
Tokyo's Haneda Airport is enjoying a surge in passenger and freight volumes since the opening of its international terminal three months ago, stepping up its presence as a regional hub.

Three months have past since Haneda Airport resumed regular international flights for the first time in 32 years.

Thanks to its accessibility from central Tokyo and smooth connections with domestic flights, the airport now has twice as many international passengers as the same period last year, when most international services available at the airport were chartered flights to China and South Korea.

Furthermore, the volume of international freight transport here has jumped fivefold from a year earlier.

With American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and British Airways set to start operating their respective flights to North American cities and London later this month, Haneda Airport is expected to play a bigger role as Asia's hub airport.

Nowadays, Haneda's new international passenger terminal is full of a vibrant atmosphere on Friday nights as a total of nine international flights to North American and Southeast Asian cities depart from the airport at around midnight one after another. There are a lot of passengers who catch the last plane of the day from regional airports and make their international connections here.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, a total of 560,000 people departed from Haneda Airport for overseas destinations in November 2010 -- 2.3 times as many passengers as the same period a year earlier.

Roughly one fourth of all passengers on All Nippon Airways' four midnight flights to Los Angeles, Honolulu, Bangkok and Singapore are transit passengers mostly from Sapporo and Fukuoka, according to the company.

"Midnight flights are becoming popular as they allow passengers to make better use of their time at their destinations," said an official with All Nippon Airways (ANA) of the revival of Haneda Airport, which had lost many passengers to more convenient Incheon International Airport in Seoul.

ANA says its international flights from the airport were at 85 percent capacity in November and December last year, surpassing the average figure for the company's overall international flights by slightly over 5 points. The number of passengers taking ANA international flights from Haneda Airport has exceeded the company's forecast by about 10 percent.

Due to its accessibility to central Tokyo, the airport is also enjoying a steady increase in business travelers. Most of Japan Airlines (JAL)'s flights to South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan were booked to around 90 percent of capacity in November and December 2010.

"A lot of people make late bookings due to unexpected business trips, resulting in an increase in average sales per customer," a JAL official said.

Along with the opening of the new international terminal, a new storage facility capable of controlling room temperatures 24 hours per day has been constructed at the airport's Tokyo International Air Cargo Terminal (TIACT), enabling Haneda Airport to export fresh produce, such as marine and agricultural products.

For example, fresh fish landed in Japan's southwestern island of Shikoku will be available at a Japanese restaurant in the United States the next day if transported by air from the island via Haneda Airport.

Before the introduction of the fresh food storage system, maritime products from Shikoku were transported by truck to the city of Fukuoka to be exported from the international airport there. By airfreighting fresh products directly to Tokyo, the time required for transportation has been reduced significantly.

In December last year, the volume of international freight at Haneda Airport increased fivefold from a year earlier to 7,500 metric tons.

But as the total international freight volume at Haneda is only 5 percent of the volume at Narita International Airport, there still is considerable room for growth.

TIACT President Hiroshi Yokoyama says the new food storage system is capable of storing a lot more goods.

The company is hoping to tie up with regional airports without international flight services in Hokkaido, and the Hokuriku and Sanin regions, in a bid to promote exports of high-value-added local products such as fruit.

While Haneda Airport enjoys strong growth in international passengers and freight volumes, Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture saw the number of passengers decline to about 2.14 million in November 2010, marking a year-on-year drop of some 400,000 people.

In an attempt to prevent the number of international flights in the Tokyo metropolitan area from exceeding demand, JAL has shifted all its Tokyo-San Francisco flights from Narita to Haneda, while ANA has introduced smaller planes for all international flights from Narita to destinations that are also accessible from Haneda. The company has reduced the number of seats from Narita to the overlapping destinations by 20 percent through these measures.

In search of new business opportunities, Narita International Airport Corp. (NAA) is planning to attract more low-cost air carriers to the airport.

In late January, NAA President Kosaburo Morinaka attended an international meeting of low-cost carriers held in Singapore to meet with executive officers of Asian budget airlines for possible future operations at Narita airport. The company plans to compile a project outline by the end of March, taking into consideration the construction of a new terminal for discount carriers.

Furthermore, NAA hopes to maintain its presence as a hub airport by inviting private jets.

By fiscal 2013, the number of departure and arrival slots for international flights at Haneda Airport is scheduled to increase by 50 percent from the current level to 90,000 per year, while the figure is also set to increase 1.4-fold for Narita International Airport to 300,000 annually.

1wlDKtutFuk

I'm pleased Haneda Airport has now an International Terminal due to it being nearer to Tokyo city center than Narita. At the same time I'm wondering why now & wouldn't Haneda cannibalize flights that lands or take-off from Narita? Is this a good business idea? Are the 2 airports run by the same organization or company? Is the pie growing so this is necessary to alleviate congestion at Narita? Appreciate any backup explanation as I'm a newbie to this thread.

Hope Haneda could get back all the transit passengers from Incheon

Japan is very developed country and i think it has very large number of airports i don't know so much about japan.

castermaild55 had posted a very important vid when talking about the extension of Haneda.

Here is the link (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=72345339&postcount=10)
It's NHK's documentary "Project X ~Challenger~ and I believe it is an eye-opener to all and call for new appreciations to the people who devoted their time, sweat, knowledge and effort in making it come true.

wOfGNipH01s

zRPMIvO3bfo

-j7GThfsX0c-

American to start New York-Tokyo Haneda service
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/17/us-americanair-haneda-idUSTRE71G0HM20110217
(Reuters) - U.S. carrier American Airlines Inc said on Wednesday it will begin service between New York and Tokyo's International Airport at Haneda this week as corporate demand picks up.

The AMR Corp unit will start flying from New York's John F. Kennedy airport to Haneda on February 18, and service from Haneda will begin February 20.

Jim Carter, vice president for Eastern division sales at American, said business travel was increasing but had more room to rebound.

"We are seeing a nice improvement in overall demand that's correlating with the economy improving," Carter told Reuters on Wednesday. "No one's doing any high fives yet but we're certainly encouraged by the more recent trend."

The new service to Haneda, which is located 30 minutes from downtown Tokyo, follows the signing of the Open Skies agreement between the United States and Japan in October, which liberalized the aviation market.

"We do think corporations will probably be most intrigued with this new service," Carter said.

American also said it was looking to expand its network in China.

Airlines are bolstering their service in high-growth U.S. and international markets as air travel rebounds after the 2009 downturn. American has said it is adding 31 flights on 13 new routes from New York, and investing $30 million in its terminals at JFK and LaGuardia airports.

Carter said the new Haneda service would make American's oneworld alliance, which includes Japan Airlines and Qantas Airways, "much more relevant" in Asia.

Oneworld competes with the SkyTeam alliance led by Delta Air Lines Inc and the Star Alliance that includes United Continental Holdings.

wqIzxk5l69A

「ジャンボ」の愛称で親しまれてきた日本航空のボーイング７４７−４００型機が、来月*１日をもって全て引退するのを前に、国内線仕様機が２０日、一足先にラストフライトを*行いました。

TtGSNd163wY

American to start New York-Tokyo Haneda service
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/17/us-americanair-haneda-idUSTRE71G0HM20110217

1XTtJBqUZs4

wqIzxk5l69A

「ジャンボ」の愛称で親しまれてきた日本航空のボーイング７４７−４００型機が、来月*１日をもって全て引退するのを前に、国内線仕様機が２０日、一足先にラストフライトを*行いました。

TtGSNd163wY
This weekend was the last domestic flight for the JAL Boeing 747-400, it flew a special 2 day roundtrip Haneda - Sapporo - Naha - Haneda.


Next weekend will be the last international flight with a round trip to Guam. Of course they will make special occasion out of it:

The Final Touch Down
http://www.jal.co.jp/intltour/jmb/gumjumbo/

JAL took delivery of it's first 747-100 in 1970, after 41 years of operations it will be the end for the JAL Jumbo's.

Haneda linked with 16 cities overseas
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201102210244.html
Three international flights connecting Tokyo with North America and Europe were inaugurated Sunday at Tokyo International Airport in Haneda, making it a gateway to 16 foreign cities.

Starting at 6 a.m., a British Airways flight bound for London, an American Airlines flight headed for New York and a Delta Air Lines flight destined for Detroit departed the airport at 15-minute intervals. All were filled to near-capacity.

One passenger on the New York flight was a 57-year-old Japanese company executive who frequently visits the city on business. "Since I will arrive early in the morning, I can start the day early. Haneda Airport is easy to access, too," he said.

With the addition of three new routes, Haneda Airport now offers 16 international routes--nine in Asia, five in the United States and two in Europe.

Thanks to its location close to central Tokyo and with connections to regional cities, Sunday's debut flights got off to a good start.

However, the flights to Europe and the United States have only midnight or early morning arrivals and departures, which limits the number of flights and may inconvenience some passengers.

For that reason, international airlines using Haneda say they will continue to offer flights from Osaka's Kansai International Airport and Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture.

Some airlines have not quite determined Haneda's power as an international airport. Air Canada in late January announced it would postpone its scheduled start of flights between Vancouver and Haneda in March. The company cited "the lower-than-expected travel demand."

Haneda's arrival and departure slots will increase to 90,000 in fiscal 2013 due to additional daytime arrivals and departures of long-distance flights. However, the number of slots will be equal to only one-third of those operated from Narita Airport.

Critics say it will be some time before Haneda truly becomes "Tokyo International Airport."

This weekend was the last domestic flight for the JAL Boeing 747-400, it flew a special 2 day roundtrip Haneda - Sapporo - Naha - Haneda.


Next weekend will be the last international flight with a round trip to Guam. Of course they will make special occasion out of it:

The Final Touch Down
http://www.jal.co.jp/intltour/jmb/gumjumbo/

JAL took delivery of it's first 747-100 in 1970, after 41 years of operations it will be the end for the JAL Jumbo's.

It's a bit sad to see that one of the largest carriers back then has to phase out all the Jumbo Jets, hope JAL will be fully recovered as what it used to be.

very nice information

IMHO
ANA did something really good for the Philippine aviation industry

By being the first international airline to use our Terminal 3 (at NAIA)

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b384/ianers_ianized/NAIA%20Updates/t31.jpg

Yay........and finally, an airline that is not a budget carrier thank god :banana: (i'm getting sick of our local budget airlines using our best airport terminal)
:lol:

Japan, Malaysia reach open skies accord
http://www.japantoday.com/category/business/view/japan-malaysia-reach-open-skies-accord
TOKYO —

Japan has agreed to an open skies arrangement with Malaysia, deregulating flight services between Narita airport near Tokyo and the Southeast Asian country, the Japanese transport ministry said Friday.

The accord will in principle let airlines freely decide the number of flights and routes to operate between Narita airport and Malaysia from the summer of 2013, when the maximum quota of landings and takeoffs at Narita will be raised to 270,000 per year, according to the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry.

Malaysian air carriers will also be able to fly more often to Narita if slots for landings and departures at the eastern Japanese airport are to increase gradually before the summer of 2013, the ministry said.

Japan concluded similar aviation accords with South Korea in December and with Singapore in January.

Who designed the Haneda international terminal?

Who designed the Haneda international terminal?

I'm not sure but I think it is Cesar Pelli (?)

The building was designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects Japan:
http://www.jma.co.jp/projects/public/#entry-2

The principal architect from the Japanese part of the firm is Jun Mitsui, it's him that designed this terminal.

1U7iVZn5Ask

8h5TRV7YQ7k

2011年2月28日撮影。JAL（日本航空）の新ロゴマークとなる「鶴丸」塗装の第*一号機が到着する様子を釧路空港で撮影しました。
この飛行機はJALのボーイング767-300で、機体番号はJA654Jでした。
「新・鶴丸お披露目フライト」として愛称に「たんちょう」が使用されているたんちょう*釧路空港へツアーが組まれました。
羽田空港悪天候のため一時間ほど遅れて到着しましたが、滑走路からターミナルへ向かう*ところでは消防車2台による放水で出迎えられました。
逆光により着陸時に一時追えなくなってしまいました。あと最初に空港の玄関前にあった*タンチョウヅルのモニュメントの映像を入れるつもりが忘れてしまいました^^

How symbolic to introduce the "new" look around the same time as the retirement of the B747.

March 1st is the absolute final commercial flight of the JAL B747-400D from Naha to Haneda.

How symbolic to introduce the "new" look around the same time as the retirement of the B747.

March 1st is the absolute final commercial flight of the JAL B747-400D from Naha to Haneda.




JAL「ジャンボジェット」40年以上の歴史に幕（11/03/02）

「ジャンボジェット」の愛称で親しまれ、日本の高度経済成長を支えてきた日航ジャンボ*機がラストフライトを迎え、40年以上の歴史に幕を閉じました。
・・・記事の続き、その他のニュースはコチラから！
[テレ朝ｎｅｗｓ] http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/ann/


dmQLjNhFkWg

2ZrwQepGH-I

great have the "鶴丸" logo back!

UzgUgbAwlMU

GtrtY0aN78E

GtrtY0aN78E

The japanese airline companies (ANA and JAL) were the first ones to gobble up on 787 orders and thus as launch customers, they will be the first ones to get it

:)

Anyways, the 787 plane looks amazing. This will be a stepping stone aircraft to bring Boeing even further in the 21st century (which was initiated by their 777 airplane).

I really can't wait for the release of the Dreamliner. Truly, it is one hell of a plane :)

P.S.
Off-topic

@Kaitak747

What's your sig about?

比台灣懂大陸，比內地懂台灣，比兩岸懂世界，比世界懂兩岸。這就是........香港。

Also, you seem to mention Taiwan a lot. Hmm......so I guess you also like Taiwan and/or you visit there often?

:)

Ibaraki Airport fails to take off
Hub expands routes but struggles to land more budget carriers
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20110310a2.html
MITO, Ibaraki Pref. (Kyodo) A year after opening as the third airport in the Tokyo metropolitan area, Ibaraki Airport is struggling to attract budget carriers as it seeks to find a niche for itself among the multitude of domestic airports.Beginning with only one flight route, the airport in Ibaraki Prefecture has increased the number to five so far as it makes efforts to bring in low-cost carriers, or LCCs.

But the airport currently does not have any plans to open additional routes, although it aims to attract more LCCs with streamlined facilities well suited for budget airlines.

Ibaraki Airport opened on March 11 last year with a daily flight to and from Seoul by South Korea's Asiana Airlines.

Located about 80 km northeast of the nation's capital, it is farther from central Tokyo than the two other airports in the region — Narita International Airport, around 60 km to the east, and Haneda airport, within the city limits.

Unlike its two peers, Ibaraki Airport also lacks rail links and frequent shuttle bus services.

Trumpeting the airport's inexpensive landing fees and other advantages, the prefectural government nonetheless has been actively seeking to attract airlines.

Last April, Skymark Airlines became the first domestic carrier to operate from the airport with a daily flight connecting Ibaraki and Kobe. It added two daily flights in February linking the airport with Sapporo and Nagoya.

Chinese budget carrier Spring Airlines also operates three flights per week between its home city of Shanghai and Ibaraki.

"Though people initially took a harsh view of the airport, they have begun to see it in a positive way," said a prefectural official.

Despite the limited number of flights, the airport has succeeded in drawing many visitors, including those who come to see Air Self-Defense Force jets from the ASDF's Hyakuri base in the city of Omitama, Ibaraki, which shares the airport.
The terminal building managed by the prefectural government has so far attracted 860,000 visitors, contributing to sales of restaurants and shops in the building.

"Ibaraki Airport is doing very well among regional airports that are seeing withdrawal of flights," the official said.

But only 190,000 of the visitors are passengers bringing profits to the airport itself.

While the Ibaraki-Shanghai flights run at 80 percent capacity, the capacity on Ibaraki-Kobe flights has dropped to about 50 percent from about 80 percent when it started operations in April, the prefecture said.

Visits to the terminal building have also been sluggish recently, it said.

In a bid to pull in more passengers, the local government contacted about 10 budget carriers at an international gathering of LCCs in Singapore in late January, stressing its inexpensive landing fees, which are about half to two-thirds those at Haneda and Narita airports.

But competition has been intensifying, with an affiliate of AirAsia, one of the biggest low-cost carriers in Southeast Asia, starting a service connecting Kuala Lumpur and Haneda after the airport reopened for full-fledged international services in October.

Narita airport has started considering building a terminal exclusively for low-cost carriers to spur flights in the growing market, while Kagawa and Saga prefectures have been working to attract budget airlines.

"Ibaraki Airport has an advantage over other local governments as it is close to Tokyo and has the experience of successfully inviting Spring Airlines," said Hajime Tozaki, professor at Waseda University specializing in transport policy.

"It needs to pay close attention to the efforts of other airports in attracting LCCs," Tozaki said.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/images/photos2011/nb20110310a2b.jpg

Tsunami rolls through Pacific, Sendai Airport under water, Tokyo Narita and Hawaiian Airports temporarily closed, Pacific region airports endangered

Japan's Sendai Airport (elevation 2 meters above sea level, partly up to 7 meters above sea level) was entirely under water after a massive Tsunami reported to be up to 15 meters (50 feet) high rolled through Sendai City following a 8.9 magnitude earthquake in the Pacific with the epicenter just 150km east of Sendai. People on the ground fled onto the roofs of the terminal buildings and into the control tower of Sendai Airport.
...

Tokyo's Narita Airport was closed for about 6 hours, too.

The Hawaiian Airports of Lihue, Honolulu, Kahului and Hilo have been temporarily closed due to the Tsumani, equipment has been moved onto higher ground. Western Hawaii has already seen Tsumani waves up to 13 feet (4 meters) high, Hawaii Main Island (most eastern island) later reported fish ending up on the streets.

A number of flights are being diverted as result of the Tsunami. Singapore Airlines are diverting their flight SQ-12 from Singapore to Tokyo Narita to Fukuoka (Japan), SQ-11 from Los Angeles to Tokyo Narita will divert to Tokyo Haneda. Two Jetstar flights from Australia to Japan, JQ-11 from Gold Coast to Tokyo Narita and JQ-25 from Cairns to Narita, diverted to Guam.

http://avherald.com/h?article=43928907&opt=0

It's hellacious over here... can't get accurate info for some reason as to whats happenening... and to make matters worse, the highways in metro tokyo are closed.

I've got a question: wich are the new routes that ANA will launch with the arrival of the 787?

I've got a question: wich are the new routes that ANA will launch with the arrival of the 787?
I can't find to much info on this, only this interview with ANAs president:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-14/all-nippon-airways-to-grab-back-japan-travelers-on-haneda-united-accord.html

It mentions that the 787 will be used on new Haneda to Europe routes, London, Frankfurt that ANA already serves from Narita and the completely new destination Amsterdam that JAL dropped last year.

But with the current problems in Japan it's all unclear what will actually happen, it depends on how fast the market will return to normal.

Law enacted to integrate management of Osaka, Kansai airports
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9N900980&show_article=1

TOKYO, May 17 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Japan's parliament enacted Tuesday a law to integrate the management of two airports in the Osaka area to help repay the huge debts plaguing Kansai International Airport and rebuild it as an international hub.
Under the law, the first scheme in Japan to integrate the management of airports, the government will set up a wholly owned company in April 2012 to take over the airports as well as some debts. It will then sell the rights to operate the airports to the private sector by March 2016.

While Itami airport, formally Osaka International Airport but now a domestic airport straddling northern Osaka Prefecture and Hyogo, is running in the black, Kansai airport, which opened in 1994 in Osaka Bay off the south of the prefecture, is laden with some 1.3 trillion yen (about $16 billion) in interest-bearing debts.

The House of Representatives passed the bill, which has already been approved by the House of Councillors, by a majority vote at a plenary session in the afternoon.

The new airport management company is scheduled to be set up in April 2012 by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and to start operating in the summer of that year, officials said.

Through the integration, the ministry aims to develop Kansai airport into a key hub airport that can catch up with Haneda and Narita airports in the Tokyo area.

The new airport management firm will own the runways of the two airports, the land assets of Osaka airport and Kansai airport's terminal building. It will also inherit about 400 billion yen worth of Kansai airport's interest-bearing debts.

It will sell the rights to operate the airports for at least 30 years in a move the ministry expects to earn it about the same sum as the total debts, according to the officials.

Some experts question the ministry's estimate, however, noting a decline in demand for airline services in the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan and caused tourism to shrink.

A separate firm will be launched to take over Kansai airport's land assets and remaining debts, lend the land to the new airport company, and reduce the remaining debts with land rents, the officials said.

ANA exceeds JAL in total yearly passengers for first time since 2002
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/news/20110517p2a00m0na015000c.html
All Nippon Airways (ANA) on May 16 announced passenger numbers for the 2010 fiscal year that exceeded those of Japan Airlines (JAL) for the first time since 2002.

Total passengers across ANA group companies were nearly 43.06 million, a 2.3 percent increase from the previous fiscal year and more than the JAL group's total of 41.92 million passengers. It is the first time since JAL entered into joint-management with former airline Japan Air System in 2002 that ANA has exceeded JAL in total passengers for a year.

Although ANA took a 20.2 percent drop in domestic passengers in March because of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, domestic passengers over the length of the entire fiscal year recorded a 0.8 percent rise to almost 38.25 million. ANA's international passengers recorded a 16.6 percent increase to 4.81 million, thanks in part to a restart to regular international flights at Haneda Airport.

JAL's group-wide passenger numbers for the 2010 fiscal year, meanwhile, showed a 19.9 percent decline in international passengers to 8.58 million and a 10.5 percent drop in domestic passengers to 33.34 million for an overall fall of 12.6 percent. JAL had filed for rehabilitation under the Corporation Reorganization Act in January 2010 and announced in April of that year that it was suspending operations on a total of 45 domestic and international routes.

By month, ANA began exceeding JAL in combined domestic and international passengers from October of 2010.

Its the third largest airport in Okinawa Prefecture on the Island of Miyakojima.
I always thought the design was very interesting. A nice mix of modern and traditional architecture

http://userdisk.webry.biglobe.ne.jp/000/289/85/N000/000/000/123798789097616400726_ROMY_20090325223130.JPG

http://photozou.jp/pub/121/80121/photo/1660563.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/48/150352530_b6eafc6912_z.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2284/1809106310_55523bddc5_z.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/164/359517197_c788d914ba_z.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/177/407955241_2172fe86f7_z.jpg

http://blogimg.goo.ne.jp/user_image/17/70/69e90b9758623a165bce039e831b1957.jpg

http://blogimg.goo.ne.jp/user_image/78/c2/6b6b7704558f09202b0b9cfe959e54c3.jpg

http://img05.ti-da.net/usr/tinarchitects/CIMG2122.JPG

the inside however is not interesting
http://livedoor.2.blogimg.jp/danielmama/imgs/5/a/5af75091.jpg
http://www.miyakomainichi.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/ec48d0a48498656d27154cf3c8ea1241.jpg

Quake-hit Sendai airport to resume int'l flights in late June
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/news/20110524p2g00m0bu069000c.html

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's Sendai airport, now under reconstruction from March's earthquake and tsunami, is due to resume hosting of international flights in late June, the transport ministry said Tuesday.

The airport in the disaster-hit Miyagi Prefecture will begin handling international charter flights in late June and aims to enable regular international flight operations July 25, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

The number of domestic arrivals, now at one per hour, will be doubled from July 25 and the facilities of its terminal building will be fully operational at the end of September, the ministry said.


(Mainichi Japan) May 24, 2011

Budget airline goes for a Peach of an image
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20110525a1.html
The operator of Japan's newest budget carrier announced Tuesday the airline will operate under the brand name Peach.The company also changed its name to Peach Aviation Ltd. from A&F Aviation Co.

The company said it chose the name based on the fruit's Asian origin and because it invokes a youthful, energetic and generous image. To embody the image, the carrier's aircraft will be painted pink and fuchsia.

Based at Kansai International Airport, the low-cost carrier plans to start domestic flights next March, connecting Fukuoka and Sapporo. International flights between Kansai International and Seoul are expected to start next May.

The company said it plans to increase the number of employees from the current 50 to around 200 by the end of fiscal 2011.

The company aims to hire competent staff regardless of their nationality, CEO Shinichi Inoue told a news conference in Tokyo in the afternoon

Inoue declined to disclose the planned ticket prices but said they will be substantially lower than those offered by major carriers.

"It'll be meaningless if we don't offer the prices that no one has seen," he said.

The Kansai-based carrier was founded in February with a total investment of some ¥30 million from All Nippon Airways Co. and Hong Kong's First Eastern Investment Group.

With Innovation Network Corporation of Japan joining the group in March, ANA, First Eastern, and INCJ now hold 33.4 percent, 33.3 percent and 33.3 percent of the carrier's shares respectively.

Peach Aviation will be the first Japanese low-cost carrier to operate from Kansai International.

Japan Airlines To Begin Tokyo-Boston Route Under American Airlines Tie
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110527D27JF063.htm
TOKYO (Dow Jones)--Japan Airlines Corp. said Friday it would launch a new route between Tokyo and Boston by using Boeing's new 787-8 aircraft, as it seeks to strengthen its trans-Pacific business with partner AMR Corp.'s American Airlines under the "open skies" liberalization of airline services between the U.S. and Japan.

The new flight service will start April 22, 2012, operating four round trips a week until the end of May next year and then the number of the service will increase to once a day from June 1, 2012.

American Airlines will codeshare on this flight, JAL said. Reservations and ticket sales will also be available through both airlines, the Japanese airline said.

The move follows a joint business announced in January by JAL and American--both members of the Oneworld alliance--that they will together operate on 10 trans-Pacific routes to take advantage of the liberalization pact.

JAL declined to comment on how many 787s will be used on the Tokyo-Boston route.

The Japanese airline has 35 orders for the B787 aircraft that has been a few years behind schedule in delivery, with an option to buy 20 additional airplanes.

ANA awarded Anti-Trust Immunity for Joint Venture with Lufthansa on Japan-Europe routes
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201106020156.html
TOKYO, June 1, 2011 -- ANA, Japan's largest airline, and Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Europe's leading airline, are announcing that they are launching a strategic joint venture with each other on Japan-Europe routes after ANA receiving Anti-Trust Immunity (ATI) approval from the Japanese Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport. This latest agreement between the two Star Alliance members follows the launch of a similar joint venture between ANA and United Airlines on trans-Pacific routes in April.

The joint venture with Lufthansa will improve the level of service offered to passengers by allowing ANA and Lufthansa to work together on schedule coordination and joint product sales. Customers will benefit from seamless transfers and better connections. The two carriers aim to introduce the new joint venture within the 2011 winter timetable.

Shinichiro Ito, ANA President and CEO, said: "I'm delighted that we have received official approval to operate the only joint venture on Japan-Europe routes. This agreement will further improve the level of service we offer to passengers and boost our company's international competitiveness."

Christoph Franz, Chairman of the Executive Board & Chief Executive Officer Deutsche Lufthansa AG, said: "This approval marks a great step forward for our customers. Optimised flight schedules will better enable them in future to plan their trips between Japan and Europe. We look forward to this opportunity to consolidate our cooperation with ANA, which signifies a further milestone that will bring the two economic areas closer together. After the tragic earthquake, the go-ahead for our joint venture is a sign that Japan is looking to the future."


For more information, please visit http://www.ana.co.jp/eng/aboutana/press/index_sm.html

Japan-Vietnam Open Sky Deal To Include Narita Airport
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110610D10JFN04.htm
TOKYO (Nikkei)--The Japanese and Vietnamese aviation authorities have agreed to add Narita International Airport in their open-sky agreement, the Transport Ministry said Friday.

The air transport liberalization agreement is expected to take effect in the summer of 2013, when the airport's annual takeoff-landing slots are scheduled to be lifted to 270,000 from 220,000.

The inclusion of Narita could help travelers by bringing down air fares.

Air China Inaugurates Rotations between Chengdu and Tokyo
http://finance.alphatrade.com/story/2011-06-17/PRN/201106170239PR_NEWS_USPR_____CN21805.html
BEIJING, June 17, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Air China has further cemented its network by launching direct links between Chengdu and Tokyo on June 16.

The launch of the links makes life much easier for passengers who originally had to transfer in a third city when traveling between Chengdu and Japan, representing another important step taken by the carrier to serve the communities in western China.

Before the introduction of the links to Tokyo, Air China had already launched links from Chengdu to Singapore, Katmandu, Karachi, Bangalore, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Now the new addition brings Air China's number of routes from Chengdu to international and regional destinations up to 11.

ANA's budget carrier confronted with high airport costs
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201106180165.html
Japan's first full-fledged low-cost carrier (LCC), set up by All Nippon Airways Co. and others, will have to fight to retain a competitive edge over its growing rank of rivals.

Peach Aviation Ltd., to be based at Kansai International Airport, will start operations next spring as the price war between other budget carriers intensifies.

In a May press conference to announce the name of the new airline, President Shinichi Inoue engaged in wordplay to emphasize its core selling point: "We're called 'Cheap"...no, actually, 'Peach,' " he said.

Peach will take to the skies in March next year with flights between Kansai and two other domestic air transportation hubs--Sapporo and Fukuoka. The airline will then launch flights to Seoul in May.

The discount carrier plans to expand its international operations rapidly by offering services to other key Asian destinations, including major cities in China and Taiwan.

The success of a low-cost airline like Peach depends on how well it can cut its overhead to offer cheaper deals than its rivals, while still ensuring safety. Peach will seek to provide flights at about half the price charged by full-service airlines, according to the company's executives.

The small airplane used by Peach will seat up to 166 passengers for a flight operated by ANA, but the no-frills carrier will equip the aircraft with 180 passenger seats.

The company's aircraft will be in service 10 to 12 hours per day, compared with 7 to 8 hours for full-service airlines, by implementing faster turnarounds between flights.

Peach will also charge passengers for in-flight services such as meals. The airline will target cost-conscious travelers by expanding its repertoire of flights mainly within Asia, since the no-frills service is better suited to short-haul flights.

ANA began serious preparations for its entry into the budget airline market three years ago.

The business model for low-cost carriers first took off in the West, but a bevy of Asian budget airlines such as Malaysia's AirAsia and South Korea's Jeju Air have since exploded onto the scene, and have expanded their presence in the international air transport business in recent years.

By including Japanese cities in their international routes, these Asian airlines have become serious competitors for ANA.

"We will end up being beaten by major foreign (low-cost) players unless we make a move before they start full-scale services (to Japan)," says an ANA executive.

Peach has selected Kansai International Airport as its base because it has more vacant slots than Narita and Haneda airports, which are international hubs--an important factor for the airline's plan to swiftly expand its Asian operations.

Peach plans to raise some 15 billion yen ($187) of capital in cooperation with a Hong Kong investment firm.

The airline will start with just two to three aircraft but plans to expand the fleet to 15--20 planes within five years to serve 6 million passengers annually.

If the company's operations grow as planned, the number of passengers using Kansai International will increase by 40 percent from the current 14 million per year.

The airport, saddled with over 1 trillion yen of interest-bearing debt, is pinning a lot of hope on Peach's debut.

The airport's operator has mapped out a turnaround strategy to attract low-cost carriers, including plans to build a new terminal dedicated to budget airlines. It will also lower fees for Peach by simplifying the terminal's facilities, with the omitting of boarding bridges being one example.

Many industry executives are also waiting anxiously for Peach's entry into the market since, if successful, it will breathe new life into the Japanese airline industry.

A senior executive at a South Korea budget carrier operating flights to Japan notes Peach's success would be a boon to other discount players as well. "If Peach does it well, we will face fiercer competition but will also see the market as a whole expand as LCCs will gain recognition among a far larger number of Japanese consumers," the executive says.

Despite this optimism, Peach undoubtedly faces a bumpy road ahead.

In Japan, various costs outside of airlines' control, such as landing fees, aircraft fuel tax and fees for using airport facilities, are all higher than in other countries.

The new carriers like Skymark Airlines Inc. have been struggling to stay afloat under the burden of these costs, which have so far prevented the emergence of a full-fledged Japanese low-cost carrier with extended domestic and international services.

In particular, the debt-heavy Kansai International Airport charges even higher landing fees than Narita, which are actually several times more expensive than those for major international airports in other Asian countries.

Kansai has offered to make airlines that start serving the airport exempt from landing fees, but only for the first year.


(This article was written by Satoshi Seii and Kiyohide Inada.)

ANA Begins Direct Narita-Chengdu Flights
http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20110620D20SS360.htm
SHANGHAI (Nikkei)--All Nippon Airways Co. (9202) on Monday launched flights between Tokyo's Narita airport and Chengdu airport in Sichuan Province, becoming the first Japanese airline to operate a direct flight to inland China.

Haneda to expand international terminal
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201106200182.html
The transport ministry plans to expand the new international passenger terminal at Haneda Airport and connect it to the existing one, to cope with an expected expansion to 90,000 international flights per year in fiscal 2013.

The new building at the Tokyo airport will be added to the north side of the existing terminal and be linked to the existing terminal, forming an "L" shape. Construction is expected to start by the end of this year.

The international boarding gates will be doubled to 20. The project is estimated to cost about 100 billion yen ($1.25 billion).

Haneda Airport resumed regular international service last October for the first time in 32 years, and an international passenger terminal was opened at the same time. The airport is expected to handle 60,000 international flights a year, with 7 million customers.

Meanwhile, an advisory panel to the ministry announced in May 2010 a plan to increase international flight slots to 90,000 in fiscal 2013. The Haneda expansion is expected to help deal with the added flights.

Even though the number of passengers using international flights from Haneda Airport dropped more than 30 percent in April from pre-earthquake levels in March, the ministry expects a recovery in the number of Chinese passengers to Japan, following an increase in flights to and from China.


http://www.asahicom.jp/english/images/TKY201106200309.jpg
New international passenger terminal at Haneda Airport built in October 2010 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

By the way they will also construct a new hotel next to Haneda.

Aside from local Japanese air carriers, some overseas carries have flights to and from Hokkaido.

The most famous is Cathay Pacific Hong Kong<->Hokkaido (Sapporo, Chitose).

:)

This looks really nice

All Nippon Airways unveils luxury touches for interior of the first Boeing Dreamliners

Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways, set to get the first of the new Boeing Dreamliners this summer, says international customers will get wide seats in business class that recline into beds, touch-panel LCD screens and roomy bathrooms.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2011-06/62686477.jpg

From the outset, Boeing Co. has touted its 787 Dreamliner as an innovative passenger jet equipped to usher in a new age in air travel. Now the traveling public is getting a peek inside.

All Nippon Airways, Japan's largest carrier, which is set to get the first of these jets late this summer, offered an early glimpse of what the interior of these $200-million planes might look like for international customers.

Get ready for wide seats in business class that recline into beds, touch-panel LCD screens that offer movies, videos and gaming, and roomy bathrooms that will include a bidet-toilet.
"We want passengers to see the difference of quality and comfort as soon as they board the aircraft," said Satoshi Fujiki, a senior vice president for the carrier's Americas division. "This is a game-changing aircraft."

The new amenities were highlighted by All Nippon in photographs and exhibits on display Wednesday at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, France. The planes are still under construction at Boeing's sprawling plant in Everett, Wash., where they are undergoing final assembly.

The look hearkens back to when Boeing's 747 jumbo jet first took to the skies in the early 1970s for Pan American World Airways. Before the 747, traveling on a plane felt like flying in a cramped metal tube.

It wasn't until Pan Am began offering movies, elegant meals and even piano bars that other airlines saw the appeal of luxury travel.

All Nippon wanted a similar effect when designing its interiors for the 787 Dreamliner, Fujiki said. "Being the launch customer is prestigious. It's important to impress."

The new jet is smaller than the existing 747, holding 210 to 290 passengers, and its top speed is 593 mph. But the bigger changes are inside the cabin. The new 787 interior design is aimed at addressing common complaints among air travelers such as the need for more legroom, more comfort and better air quality.

In the renovated economy cabin, All Nippon is offering passengers in-flight entertainment on a seat-back LCD touch screen, a plug-in port for laptops and USBs and an iPod jack on long-haul routes. Business-class passengers on international flights will have aisle access from every seat and full flat beds, along with 17-inch touch-panel LCD screens.

"People remember the golden age of travel where they'd find piano bars on a plane," said Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst with Teal Group Corp. "I don't know if we're going back there, but better amenities and service will attract the premier passengers, which is key to long-haul carriers."

Passengers in every class will experience more room, improved air quality, more natural light from the outside thanks to 19-inch windows and higher humidity. The plane has bigger, drop-down overhead luggage bins, and the larger windows can adjust the light coming into the cabin with the touch of button, rather than by raising a solid window shade.

The Dreamliner doesn't have traditional white fluorescent lights, instead opting for soft "blue-sky" lighting. And Boeing made the 787 with "vaulted" 8-foot ceilings and 17-foot-wide cabins, which is more spacious than previous twin-aisle planes.

"If you've ever flown on a long-haul flight, you know how important comfort and amenities can be," said Kathleen Sedlmayr, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Business Travel Assn. "Especially if you fly all day and go to a business meeting shortly after landing."

She added that the economy seating is "the real star" of the plane, with extra legroom and seats that recline by sliding forward and "not into the lap of the person behind you."

Boeing is nearly two years into flight testing a fleet of six Dreamliners to earn the Federal Aviation Administration's official certification before the jets can be delivered to airlines. It is three years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget.

Chicago-based Boeing has had a series of problems with getting the plane on schedule, including faulty parts from suppliers, a labor strike and design flaws. The design has proved difficult because it is the first large passenger jet to have more than half its structure made of a high-tech blend of lightweight composite material instead of aluminum. The new material is more durable and less prone to corrosion.

Boeing has promised airlines that the use of composites and a newly developed engine will result in a plane that burns 20% less fuel than jetliners of a similar size. Buyers worldwide, enticed by promises of the most advanced, fuel-stingy passenger jet ever made, have ordered 835 of the jets. It's up to carriers to decide what the interior configuration will look like.

All Nippon has ordered 55 Dreamliners for domestic and international routes. The first 787 aircraft is due to be delivered in August or September.

The carrier has two daily flights out of Los Angeles International Airport to Tokyo. Each flight — one to Narita International Airport and one to Haneda Airport, both in Tokyo — uses a Boeing 777. But Fujiki said the 787 "most likely" would replace them. Fares won't be higher or lower depending on the aircraft, the company said.

The first flight schedules for the 787 and routes have not been announced, but Fujiki said All Nippon probably would be flying 787s a month after delivery. For now, travelers interested in seeing All Nippon's plans for the Dreamliner can visit the company's website at http://www.ana.co.jp/promotion/b787/en/.

When the jets do come in, All Nippon said it would give its first two 787s a special blue-and-white paint job with the numbers 787 in bold, large type at the front of the aircraft to signify that they are the first in the world. The paint job, called "livery," was also unveiled Wednesday at the Paris Air Show.

"We are eager to begin with the 787," Fujiki said. "This is a new horizon for aviation and our company."

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-nippon-dreamliner-20110623,0,3083733.story

Japanese industrial participation in the Boeing 787 is 35%.

ANA Double Winners at Skytrax Awards
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201106230381.html
- World's Best Airport Services Award: Number One -

- Staff Service Excellence (Asia): Number One -


TOKYO June 23, 2011 -- ANA was judged as having the World's Best Airport Services at the 2011 World Airline Awards, run by Skytrax.

At the award ceremony, held yesterday (June 22) at the Paris Airshow, ANA was also awarded the Staff Service Excellence Award in the Asia category, recognizing the high quality of service provided by its cabin and airport staff.

This double achievement marks the first time ANA has received one of the Skytrax World Airline Awards and is recognition of each individual member of staff's commitment to maintaining the very highest standards, all the time focusing on the "spirit of Japanese customer service".

Skytrax, established in 1989 and based in London, is an airline industry consulting and rating company. The annual awards are based on independently run customer surveys, including on-line questionnaires, covering more than 200 airlines. More information on Skytrax and the World Airline Awards can be found at: http://www.airlinequality.com

ANA Group will continue working hard to exceed passengers' expectations and deliver an outstanding in-flight experience, helping to achieve the goal of becoming Asia's number one airline.

For more information, please visit http://www.ana.co.jp/eng/aboutana/press/index_sm.html

Can Japan Succeed in Planes as It Did in Cars?
http://blogs.forbes.com/stephenharner/2011/06/25/can-japan-succeed-in-planes-as-it-did-in-cars/
A year from now a 70-90 passenger commercial airliner, called the MRJ (for Mitsubishi Regional Jet), produced by Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation in Nagoya, will begin flying in Japan and Indonesia.

During this week, at the Paris Air Show, Mitsubishi Aircraft and Boeing Corp. signed an agreement under which Boeing ground crews will provide maintenance support for MRJ aircraft on a global basis.

Is Japan about to break through in design, manufacture, and global market sales of commercial aircraft? This is surely an ambition. Given Japan’s pressing need for new areas of commercial expansion, it is certain that a supreme effort will be made to succeed.

According to a company press release, as at mid-June, MRJ had received 130 aircraft orders: 25 (15 firm and 10 options) from All Nippon Airways (ANA) of Japan; 100 (50 firm and 50 options) from Trans States Holdings of St. Louis; and 5 (firm) from ANI Group Holdings of Hong Kong.

ANI is an airline leasing vehicle for Indonesian carriers. Landing this order, though small, is considered a breakthrough as it is the first Asian market order outside Japan.

At the Paris Air Show Mitsubishi Aircraft launched a marketing blitz for the MRJ, trying hard to get attention—and orders—in what an increasingly competitive market for medium-sized, short haul passenger jet aircraft. Apart from the full line competitors, of Boeing and Airbus, MRJ must face off directly with the well-established Canadian Bombardier and Brazilian Embraer.

Can Japanese engineering, design, and manufacturing quality produce a competitive product? The company believes that it has done so. Mainly, the MRJ is some 20 percent more fuel efficient than its direct competitors. It is quieter. Also, there are the Japanese touches of customer comfort and convenience that have been so important in building global markets for Japanese cars. Not the least of these is abundant overhead luggage space—lacking in competitors’ products—that should appeal to business travelers toting overnight bags and hoping to avoid waits for baggage claim.

A lot of prestige, money, and hope is wrapped up in the MRJ. The maker, Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation, that began operation on April 1, 2008 with a paid in capital of JPY 100 billion, is a joint venture between Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., Toyota Motor Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, Sumitomo Corporation and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. It is hard to imagine a combination of companies more likely to succeed than this one.

As we have been reminded often in recent months, Japanese companies supply a myriad of intermediate products—usually at the very high end of technology—within global supply chains in many industries. Aviation is certainly no exception. For many years, Japanese firms—notably Mitsubishi Heavy Industries from its Nagoya base—have been major “component” (including very big components, like fuselages) suppliers to Boeing, Airbus and other global aircraft makers and assemblers.

The MRJ is a strategically very important initiative to put a Japan aircraft into global service. The world loves Japanese cars. Will we love Japanese airplanes? The next few years will tell.


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/87/Mitsubishi_MRJ.jpg

What do you guys think about this?

JAL to launch low-cost carrier with Qantas unit
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/30/jal-qantas-idUSL3E7HU30F20110630
(Reuters) - Japan Airlines Corp (JAL) will enter the low-cost carriers market through a joint venture with Australia's Jetstar group, and launch domestic flights next year, Nikkei reported.

The venture will be capitalized at 10-20 billion yen ($123.8-$247.7 million), with JAL and Jetstar, a Qantas Airways subsidiary, holding 30 percent stakes each, the daily said.

A decision on which company will have management control will be taken later, the business newspaper said.

Mitsubishi Corp and Toyota Tsusho Corp have been invited to invest in the deal, which JAL and Jetstar aim to finalize next month, Nikkei reported.

The new discount airline -- expected to eventually fly international routes -- may serve Tokyo's Narita airport, which is expanding its landing slots, the business daily said.

Osaka's Kansai International Airport and Central Japan International Airport outside Nagoya both of which operate around the clock, are also in the fray, the report said.

JAL took a variety of restructuring steps after filing for bankruptcy in January 2010, including reducing the number of routes, the newspaper said.

Although it logged a record consolidated operating profit of 188.4 billion yen for fiscal 2010, the company's revenue and profit are likely to plunge this year as a result of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, Nikkei said.

JAL had kept its distance from the low-cost-carrier market, with Chairman Kazuo Inamori saying the airline would differentiate itself by offering a high level of service, the report said.

Rivals warily watching Haneda expansion taking off
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201107010233.html
Aggressive expansion plans at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, which is splashing out about 100 billion yen ($1.24 billion) to enlarge its international terminal for long-haul flights, are worrying its rivals.

The improved services may be good news for travelers, but airports in the Kanto region and elsewhere around the nation are worried that Haneda could sap their customer base due to its close proximity to the capital.

Haneda's international terminal expansion will be completed by fiscal 2013, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the terminal operator.

The project, approved June 21, involves adding eight boarding gates for a total of 18, a departure lounge and a hotel with about 280 guest rooms.

Haneda, the nation's largest hub for domestic flights, resumed regular international services last October after a 32-year hiatus. Before Narita Airport opened as Japan's international gateway, Haneda was the only venue that offered international flights.

The airport now has 60,000 annual international arrival and departure slots, serving 7 million passengers.

The land ministry aims to bolster Haneda's competitive edge in the global market by raising its total slots to 90,000 by fiscal 2013, with most added flights scheduled for the daytime.

That will increase traffic to 12.5 million passengers a year, according to a transport ministry estimate.

In April, the number of departing passengers dropped by more than 30 percent compared with a year ago in the wake of the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake.

Nevertheless, the ministry projects much long-term growth potential for Haneda.

Most international services from Haneda leaving during the daytime are limited to short-haul flights to South Korea, China and other destinations in Asia.

Flights to the United States and Europe depart only early in the morning or late at night.

But after the expansion, Haneda expects to offer long-haul flights to Asian, U.S. and European cities during the daytime, too.

Land minister Akihiro Ohata indicated in a June 21 news conference that Haneda may add a new runway in the future. "There have been requests (from airlines) to fly into Tokyo," Ohata said. "Many are from China. Expanding the terminal building may not be enough."

But Haneda's push to connect with more international destinations poses a serious threat to Narita Airport, which is considering the construction of a terminal dedicated to low-cost carriers in an attempt to differentiate itself from Haneda.

Narita is setting its sights on young people and tourists from Asian countries. Two South Korea-affiliated budget carriers are inaugurating flights to Narita.

Regional airports are being forced into a fierce battle over customers. At Ibaraki Airport in Ibaraki Prefecture in the northern part of the Kanto region, the only scheduled international service, a flight to and from Seoul, has been suspended since the March 11 disaster.

An official at the Ibaraki prefectural government said that Haneda's moves will certainly affect Ibaraki airport.

"An adverse impact is unavoidable," the official said. "But our landing and departure fee is roughly half of what Haneda charges. We can share the roles."

Shizuoka Airport, with international services by three carriers, is also likely to be hurt by Haneda's expansion.

Kazuki Sugiura, an aviation industry analyst, says Haneda's expansion may have broader implications.

"If Haneda steps up international services, it will also have an impact on other carriers flying into Chubu Airport and Kansai International Airport," he said.

Haneda Airport's Passenger, Freight Volumes Soar
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110712D12JFA16.htm?ep=3
TOKYO (Nikkei)--The return of regular international flights at Tokyo's Haneda airport for the first time in 32 years has fueled a sharp rise in passenger and freight volumes.

Passengers on international flights roughly doubled on the year to 2.14 million for the January-April period, while freight volumes jumped 320% to 67,758 tons for the January-June half, topping the total for all of 2010.

Accompanied by the opening of a fourth runway last October, the internationalization has increased flights to Haneda to 1,500 a month from 1,200. Previously, only charter flights could fly to nearby destinations from the hub. But it is now connected to 16 cities in 10 markets in North America, Europe and Asia.

Freight is often carried in passenger plane cargo compartments. Exports from Haneda shot up 580% for the January-June half, while imports grew 210%, according to Tokyo Customs data.

Even though Haneda handles less than 10% as much freight as Narita airport, it has the advantage of being near the center of Tokyo. Freight handled at Narita slumped 12% for the first half.

Given the increased use of Haneda, the Transport Ministry aims to expand the international terminal.

Can Japan Succeed in Planes as It Did in Cars?
http://blogs.forbes.com/stephenharner/2011/06/25/can-japan-succeed-in-planes-as-it-did-in-cars/


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/87/Mitsubishi_MRJ.jpg

What do you guys think about this?

its up against a very saturated market for short haul regional aircraft that's dominated by Brazilian Embraer (particularly E series), and Canadian Bombardier (C series).. both of which have lots of orders and quite reputable. Airbus also updated their A320 to A320 Neo (its a lil bit larger than the others, but still a form of competition and something thats getting lots of orders).

Russia's Sukhoi recently began delivering Superjet series, which is also in direct competition to the Mitsubishi MRJ.

so basically yes.. the Mitsubishi one is coming to the field late. but at the same time I'm sure many of them have busy order books (not sure about Sukhoi).. and often some airliners settle simply because there's no slots at a manufacturer they originally wanted.

^^
Honda Targets 15% Share With Business Jet
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110714D14EE687.htm
GREENSBORO, N.C. (Nikkei)--Honda Motor Co. (7267) aims to grab a 15% share of the global market for small business jets with its new HondaJet, the president of subsidiary Honda Aircraft Co. said at an event marking the opening of the plane's production facility in North Carolina Wednesday.Michimasa Fujino said the company aims to achieve that goal by leveraging the internationally known Honda name.

Honda Aircraft, a wholly owned U.S. unit, will begin turning out the fuel-efficient seven-seater in early 2012, aiming to produce 100 annually in 2014 and turn a profit by 2017. The company has already received orders for 100 HondaJets, which will be priced at 4.5 million dollars (360 million yen) each.

Featuring engines positioned above the wings, the jet promises to be 10% faster, 20% more fuel-efficient and about 20% roomier than its existing counterparts.

Fujino says the firm plans to add more planes to the lineup.

so basically yes.. the Mitsubishi one is coming to the field late. but at the same time I'm sure many of them have busy order books (not sure about Sukhoi).. and often some airliners settle simply because there's no slots at a manufacturer they originally wanted.

I will describe it as an "next generation regional aircraft" as it using Pratt & Whitney PW1000G - the same engine fro A320 NEO, Bombardier Cseries and Irkut MS-21. Provided that 70 orders are already placed for MRJ (with regards to wikipedia) and all of these aircrafts are scheduled to hit the skies in the same time (+/- 1 year), I believe it's a good start for MRJ and it will definitely find place on the market.

So many budget airlines coming to Japan's future. This is good for the future of tourism to Japan

ANA, AirAsia talking new budget airline at Narita
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/business/T110716002464.htm
All Nippon Airways and AirAsia, the Malaysia-based airline that is the largest low-cost carrier (LCC) in Asia, have started negotiations to establish a new budget airline based at Narita Airport, according to industry sources.

The envisioned LCC would offer domestic flight services starting in fiscal 2012 or later, after the number of arrival and departure slots at Narita increases.

The new airline would start international services to destinations in East Asia, such as China and South Korea, at a later date.

Air Asia already covers some routes between Malaysia and destinations in East Asia.

ANA established Peach Aviation, an LCC that aims to start services in March 2012 from its Kansai International Airport base, in conjunction with a Hong Kong investment firm and other partners.

By establishing another LCC based at Narita, ANA will be lining up against Japan Airlines and Jetstar Airways, a subsidiary of Australia's Qantas Airways, which are together planning a new LCC tentatively named Jetstar Japan.

Jetstar Japan domestic flights are scheduled to begin around autumn 2012, flying from Narita to Fukuoka, Naha and New Chitose Airport near Sapporo. International services to Hong Kong, Guam and Chinese cities such as Hangzhou and Tianjin are slated to begin in spring 2013.

Toyota Tsusho Corp. and Mitsubishi Corp. are considering providing capital to new budget airlines, which are expected to exploit growing demand for discount airline services.

Observers predict competition in the airline industry, and discounting of fares, will continue to intensify.

^^
ANA and AirAsia confirm low-cost carrier
http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/ana-and-airasia-confirm-low-cost-carrier
ANA and AirAsia are to form a joint venture budget carrier under the brand AirAsia Japan, based at Tokyo Narita airport and serving domestic and international destinations from August 2012.

In a press release the carriers said that ANA had been “seeking opportunities to launch a new low-cost business based at Narita and, after analysis, has concluded that partnering with an existing low-cost carrier is the most efficient and strategically advantageous option”.

Equally Air Asia said that it has been “seeking a business partner with strong Japanese market influence to further expand its scope”.

The carriers said that Narita airport “is seeking to increase capacity with the introduction of a new terminal and is expected to attract many low-cost carriers and foreign airlines”.

This would certainly seem to be the case, with a raft of Asian carriers including SIA, Thai Airways and Japan Airlines currently planning or have already launched low-cost subsidiaries. For more information on the low-cost aviation boom in Asia, click here.

What is not clear is whether this agreement between ANA and Air Asia will have any impact on the planned launch of Peach Aviation – ANA’s own low-cost subsidiary set to commence flights from Osaka in March next year. It is understood that as part of the agreement Peach will not establish a base at Tokyo Narita.

For more information visit airasia.com, ana.co.jp.

Report by Mark Caswell

Update:

AirAsia, ANA form AirAsia Japan
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/20110721134212/Article/index_html#ixzz1SlRPm5s2
AirAsia Bhd and All Nippon Airways, Japan's largest airline, have formed a Yen 5 billion Air Asia Japan, a 51:49 venture that will be based in Narita International Airport.

http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20110721134212/pix_bottom

ANA president and CEO Sanichiro Ito and Air Asia's Tan Sri Tony Fernandes at the signing ceremony in Tokyo. Pix by Vasantha Ganesan

ANA-AirAsia venture to slash fares by two-thirds
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201107220332.html
A joint venture between All Nippon Airways Co. and AirAsia plans to link Narita Airport with Asian destinations at about one-third to half the going rates, fueling competition among budget carriers.

"We are fully prepared for intense competition," said ANA President Shinichiro Ito, who attended a news conference in Tokyo July 21 with Tony Fernandes, Group CEO of AirAsia. "It is necessary to gain an advantage by moving ahead of rivals."

AirAsia Japan, 67 percent owned by ANA and 33 percent owned by AirAsia, will begin services next summer, linking Narita with domestic and overseas cities.

The company, capitalized at 5 billion yen ($63 million), will be set up in Japan in August.

While routes have yet to be decided, Fukuoka and New Chitose airports are among candidate destinations in Japan. South Korea and Southeast Asian countries are being considered for international services.

AirAsia Japan plans to deploy a fleet of about 30 Airbus aircraft by 2016.

ANA and Japan Airlines Co. are facing growing competition in Japan from Asian no-frills carriers, such as Malaysia's AirAsia, Australia's Jetstar Airways and South Korea's Jeju Air Inc.

Meanwhile, AirAsia, Asia's largest budget carrier, was seeking to serve domestic routes in Japan with a local partner.

AirAsia Japan is the second low-cost carrier for ANA. Peach Aviation Ltd., its joint venture with a Hong Kong investment company and other partners, will begin flying from Kansai International Airport in March.

AirAsia Japan will use red--the Malaysian budget carrier's symbol color--for aircraft and cabin attendant uniforms to distinguish it from regular ANA services.

JAL and Jetstar Airways, a budget carrier affiliated with Qantas Airways Ltd., plan to establish a joint venture soon.

Low-cost carriers slash fares by selling tickets online and charging for in-flight services. They account for 20 to 30 percent of the global air transport.

Disaster aftermath pushes ANA to ¥8.4 billion June quarter loss
http://atwonline.com/airline-finance-data/news/disaster-aftermath-pushes-ana-84-billion-june-quarter-loss-0729
Still reeling from the aftereffects of March's earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan, All Nippon Airways incurred an ¥8.4 billion ($107.9 million) net loss for its fiscal first quarter ended June 30, widened from an ¥5.2 billion net deficit in the prior-year period.

"The losses during the period reflect the severe disruption caused by the Great East Japan earthquake in March, which resulted in a significant decline in passenger numbers," ANA stated Friday. "Despite the steady recovery of the Japanese economy during the period, the short-term outlook remains unclear due to factors including restrictions on electric power distribution, the nuclear power shutdown and a steep rise in crude oil prices."

There are some good signs, though. On the domestic front, "business passenger numbers began to recover after bottoming out in April, with the level of demand in June almost returning to that of the previous year," the airline said. "Leisure traffic also showed signs of improvement after April."

Regarding long-haul flying, the company noted, "In the month immediately following the earthquake, there was a marked decline in international passenger numbers. However, traffic levels began to rebound around the middle of April, with business demand showing early recovery. However, recovery in leisure demand is slow; above all, with in-bound passenger numbers significantly down."

ANA's fiscal first-quarter operating revenue declined 0.6% year-over-year to ¥305 billion while expenses heightened 3.1% to ¥313.1 billion, producing an operating loss of ¥8.1 billion, reversed from a ¥2.9 billion operating profit in the 2010 June quarter.

Looking ahead, ANA said it does not "expect demand to return to pre-earthquake levels until the end of this fiscal year [March 31, 2012]."

Boeing unveils first Dreamliner for delivery to ANA
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/07/us-boeing-idUSTRE77600B20110807

http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20110807&t=2&i=474206937&w=460&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&r=2011-08-07T000510Z_01_BTRE776009N00_RTROPTP_0_BOEING-DREAMLINER
(Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA.N) on Saturday afternoon rolled out the first 787 Dreamliner to be delivered to launch customer All Nippon Airways (9202.T), decked out with the blue and white colors of the Japanese airline.

Boeing presented the plane to ANA executives and crew under clear skies at its Everett factory north of Seattle. The first domestic flights are set to start in Japan in September.

"The plane is being certified to the highest FAA standards," said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager, 787 program. "But the real focus of the traveling public will likely be on customer satisfaction and the elegance of the flight."

The 787 Dreamliner is a lightweight airplane that promises 20 percent greater fuel efficiency to operators than similarly sized planes. Boeing says as much as 50 percent of the primary structure will be made of composite materials instead of aluminum.

Aviation experts expect Boeing to apply the technology to future airplanes.

The interior of the first aircraft includes 264 seats -- 12 business and 252 economy -- with personal television sets, roomier seats, an automatic toilet with a wash function, more storage, an arched entry way with a beverage bar, dimmable windows and larger lavatories.

Boeing, the world's second-largest plane maker after Airbus EADS (EAD.PA), is about three years behind schedule in delivering the first 787 largely because of snags in the unusually complex global supply chain.

The 787 is almost finished with flight tests and is set for delivery to ANA in September.

Boeing has taken 827 orders for the Dreamliner, a record number for a Boeing plane still in development. ANA has ordered 55 Dreamliners. The planes list for about $200 million.

Boeing is developing two versions of the Dreamliner. The first version, the 787-8, will carry 210 to 250 passengers on routes of 7,650 to 8,200 nautical miles. A second version, the 787-9, will carry 250 to 290 passengers on routes of 8,000 to 8,500 nautical miles.

Boeing also has been talking about a third, larger variant, the 787-10, and says it is seeing strong airline interest in the plane.

^^
Quibble, but the picture is of a JAL 787, and one in the old livery. It will have to be repainted in the current "tsuru" livery.

Japanese airliners have really ordered a lot of 787 planes :)

Lots of these orders are needed and it is what helped in giving the 787 a sales advantage over the A350 XWB :)

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Toray Industries, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, etc are major partners in the 787 project.

All Nippon May Start Flights to Three European Cities as 787 Enters Fleet
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-08/all-nippon-may-add-flights-to-three-european-cities-with-787.html
All Nippon Airways Co., due to receive the first Boeing Co. (BA) 787 next month, said the aircraft may allow it to add as many as three European routes that wouldn’t support larger planes.

“The 787 presents us with a big opportunity,” President Shinichiro Ito said in an interview in Tokyo on Aug. 1. The carrier aims to start Dreamliner flights to Europe from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport in February, he said. He declined to elaborate on the possible destinations.

Boeing rolled out the first 787 painted in ANA’s livery on Aug. 6 at its plant in Everett, Washington as it prepares to begin deliveries of the aircraft following more than three years of delays. The planes may allow ANA to add new routes in Europe and North America as they can fly further than aircraft of a similar size and are about 20 percent more fuel efficient.

ANA, which has ordered 55 Dreamliners, is due to get 12 of the planes by the end of March. Another eight will be handed over in the subsequent 12 months.

Tokyo-based ANA last year began flights to Munich, its fourth destination in Europe after London, Paris and Frankfurt. It is also due to begin a venture on European routes with Deutsche Lufthansa AG (LHA) in October.

Overseas Expansion

ANA is bolstering its overseas network following increases in capacity at Tokyo’s Haneda and Narita airports, and cuts made by Japan Airlines Co. as part of a restructuring plan. Its international flights will expand 16 percent in the year started April 1, compared with a 2 percent expansion for domestic services, according to its website. New routes in Asia this year include Manila and Jakarta.

The carrier started a venture with United Continental Holdings Inc. (UAL) in April and is also considering adding routes to North America with the 787, according to Mitsuo Morimoto, an executive vice president at the carrier

“Personally, I’d like to open a route between Seattle and Kobe,” Morimoto said at Boeing’s plant in Everett, Washington, on Aug. 6. “They’re sister cities and the 787 was born here.”

The carrier’s first commercial Dreamliner flight will be a one-off charter service to Hong Kong from Narita. After that, the 787s will initially be used for scheduled domestic services.

Won’t Compete

ANA fell 1.2 percent to 243 yen at the 3 p.m. close in Tokyo, while the Nikkei 225 Stock Average declined 1.7 percent. The stock has slumped 20 percent this year as Japan’s record earthquake and ensuing nuclear crisis cut demand for travel.

ANA, which had 229 planes in its fleet at the end of June, is also investing in two low-cost carriers amid rising competition from overseas budget airlines including Shanghai- based Spring Airlines and Qantas Airways Ltd.’s Jetstar.

AirAsia Japan Co. and Peach Aviation Ltd. won’t clash as they will operate from different bases and target different markets, Ito said.

“The airlines won’t be competing against each other,” he said.

Peach, formed by ANA and Hong Kong-based First Eastern Investment Group, will start domestic flights from Osaka’s Kansai airport by March. The airline will lease 10 Airbus SAS A320 aircraft and it aims to carry 6 million passengers within five years.

AirAsia Japan, a venture with AirAsia Bhd. (AIRA), Asia’s biggest discount carrier, will begin flights in August next year from a hub at Narita. It will operate on both domestic and international routes.


ANA to take over Air Nippon
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201108090280.html
All Nippon Airways Co. will take over Air Nippon Co. (ANK), ANA's wholly owned subsidiary operating small aircraft services, in April 2012, according to ANA President Shinichiro Ito.

The administrative sectors, aircraft maintenance and flight operation functions of both companies will be integrated to help enhance management efficiency and shore up international services where demand is robust.

Ito told The Asahi Shimbun that the planned merger "will help to make more efficient use of the production resources (of the ANA group)."

"Integrating the pool of equipment and small aircraft pilots (between ANK and ANA) will help to enhance total productivity," he said.

ANK will go out of existence with the planned merger.



Jetstar, JAL to launch low-cost carrier by 2012-end
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/11/jal-qantas-idUSL3E7JB3UM20110811
Aug 12 (Reuters) - Qantas Airways Ltd unit Jetstar Airways has agreed to form a 3 billion yen ($39 million) low-cost carrier joint venture with Japan Airlines Corp (JAL) and Mitsubishi Corp , the Nikkei business daily reported.

Jetstar Japan, which will use the Australian firm's brand as well as its operation, reservation and sales systems, will begin domestic and international flights out of Narita airport by December 2012, the Nikkei said.

Mitsubishi is expected to reduce its 33.4 percent interest in the company by next summer, when new shareholders are brought in. It is looking to make profits by handling the leasing of Airbus SAS aircrafts to the new carrier, the daily added.

Jetstar recorded highest sales among budget air carriers in the Asia-Pacific region last year, the Nikkei said.

RIP

26th anniversary of JAL crash marked in Gunma
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/26th-anniversary-of-jal-crash-marked-in-gunma
GUNMA — Relatives of victims of the 1985 crash of a Japan Airlines jumbo jet marked the 26th anniversary of the accident in Gunma Prefecture on Friday night. Earlier in the day, relatives of the 520 people who died and JAL officials climbed Mount Otsuka to visit the site of the crash and offered prayers at a cenotaph.

At 6:56 p.m.—the exact time of the crash—a ceremony was held in Ueno village at the foot of the mountain. Attendants observed a moment of silence and also prayed for victims of the March 11 disaster.

JAL Flight 123, with 524 people aboard, took off from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport at 6:12 p.m. Twelve minutes into the flight, a bulkhead is believed to have blown in the tail, creating over-pressurization that severed the four sets of hydraulic-control lines and blew part of the tail section off. With a total loss of hydraulic pressure, the captain attempted unsuccessfully to regain control of the aircraft as it descended uncontrollably in a flight condition known as the “Dutch roll.” At 6:56 p.m., the plane crashed into Mount Otsuka.

Only four survivors were found when the first rescue workers arrived 12 hours later.

Since 2006, JAL has been displaying messages written by passengers and a cabin attendant before they died, at its Safety Promotion Center at Haneda Airport


Recently I listened to the last recordings of the pilot and it was really depressing :(

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dB11CG6jZjM

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ANA's Peach Airline To Fly Osaka-Sapporo Route 3 Times Daily
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110823D2308N03.htm?ep=1
TOKYO (Nikkei)--Budget airline Peach Aviation Ltd., partly owned by All Nippon Airways Co. (9202), said Tuesday that it will fly three round trips a day between its Kansai International Airport hub and Sapporo's New Chitose Airport from March 1, 2012.

Peach will also operate four daily round-trip flights between Kansai and Fukuoka.

The carrier, which applied to the Transport Ministry on Tuesday for approval to fly into these airports, says it will set fares around November.

(The Nikkei Aug. 24 morning edition)


ANA: To Start Haneda-Frankfurt Service In Jan Using B787
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110823D23JF588.htm
TOKYO (Dow Jones)--All Nippon Airways Co. (9202) said Tuesday that it will kick off a new service linking Tokyo's Haneda airport and Frankfurt using new Boeing 787 aircraft from January 2012, marking the airline's first long-haul international services using the much awaited Dreamliner jet.

The airline commonly known as ANA said it will launch three weekly flights on the route from January before moving to daily flights from February.

Ahead of the new route service, ANA will use the B787 jet on its Haneda-Beijing route in December. Flights are scheduled for about once every week in a limited period until the Haneda-Frankfurt services starts in the following month.

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Today is the day that the Dreamliner will get it's official certification, this means that Boeing can start the final step to deliver the 1st plane to ANA.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner to get FAA certification Friday

Posted on August 26, 2011 at 6:28 AM

SEATTLE -- After years of delays, Boeing's 787 Dreamliner is expected to be officially certified by the FAA Friday so it can start delivering the jet to customers.

It's a long awaited celebration for Boeing after finally completing thousands of hours of rigorous testing. The certification is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. at Boeing's Everett factory. Boeing plans to celebrate with a special ceremony with employees and executives starting at 10 a.m.

The 787 is more than three years behind schedule after a string of problems with composite materials and global manufacturers.

full article:
http://www.nwcn.com/news/business/FAA-to-certify-Boeings-787-Dreamliner-Friday-128458098.html

ANA to receive first 787 on 26 September

DATE:26/08/11

Boeing will deliver the first 787 to launch customer All Nippon Airways (ANA) on 26 September.

The aircraft will take off from Boeing facilities in Everett on 27 September, and arrive in Tokyo on 28 September, said the Star Alliance member in a statement.

full article:
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/08/26/361318/ana-to-receive-first-787-on-26-september.html

Good news, I want to use it. Even the economy seating should be nicer with better windows.

Prepare For Takeoff ... In Kansai Dialect?
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110824D2408A01.htm?ep=1
OSAKA (Nikkei)--Peach Aviation Ltd. could use Kansai dialect for in-flight announcements when it takes to the skies from March 2012, Chief Executive Officer Shinichi Inoue revealed Wednesday. Japan's first budget carrier will be based out of the Kansai International Airport. The CEO is racking his brain on how to win over Kansai region consumers, who are considered extremely discerning when it comes to products and services.

Even though discount airlines are sprouting up, including Japan Airlines Corp.'s Jetstar Japan Co., "Peach's target is the Kansai region," maintains Inoue. "It has a population of some 20 million and its gross domestic product rivals South Korea's."

"By tapping the uniqueness of our Kansai hub, we'll become the bridge between Japan and Asia," the CEO says.

lxeXFuAE_Ew

Boeing 787 A Symbol Of 'Japan Rebuilding'
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110922D2209A06.htm?ep=2
TOKYO (Nikkei)--The launch of Boeing Co.'s 787 Dreamliner will symbolize the reconstruction of Japan, All Nippon Airways Co. (9202) President Shinichiro Ito told a news conference Thursday.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (7011) and other Japanese manufacturers together provide 35% of the parts for the fuel-efficient twin-engine jet, while ANA provided input on its development.

"We are excited in anticipation," Ito said, referring to Boeing's delivery of the first plane to ANA scheduled for this coming Sunday.

Made largely of carbon fiber, the 787 can handle longer-haul flights than existing models while boasting improved fuel efficiency. "Adopting the aircraft will dramatically improve our competitiveness," Ito said.

ANA will offer Oct. 30 a special excursion flight for children from areas devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. It will also conduct tours for travel agency personnel.

"We believe the 787 will help support quake-ravaged areas and spur travel demand," Ito said.

Boeing Delivers First Dreamliner
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110925D25NY413.htm
EVERETT, Wash. (Dow Jones)--Boeing Co. completed contractual delivery of the first 787 Dreamliner jet on Sunday.

All Nippon Airways Co. and the U.S. plane maker signed the final documents related to the Dreamliner on Sunday morning, and the title was transferred to the Japanese airline, said Scott Fancher, the Boeing vice president who runs the 787 project.

The long-awaited plane, made largely of plastic composite materials instead of aluminum, is being handed off more than three years behind Boeing's original schedule.

Boeing and ANA officially will celebrate the first Dreamliner delivery here on Monday, followed by a fly-away event on Tuesday.

The twin-aisle, long-range jet is the first all-new plane Boeing has delivered since the 777 in 1995.

umJfhd8paHQ

^^
Awesome! :okay:

HX-UhDyryBE

Mitsubishi to produce 180-degree panoramic OLED display for Narita Airport
http://www.plusplasticelectronics.com/consumerelectronics/mitsubishi-to-produce-180-degree-panoramic-oled-display-39342.aspx
Japanese electronics manufacturer Mitsubishi has been contracted to create the largest digital signage system in Japan, using OLED technology.

The display will be installed at Narita International airport, and will include a 180-degree concave OLED screen, a world first. It will boast a higher than average brightness and contrast levels allowing images and information to be displayed clearly to passengers passing through the terminal, reports Ubergizmo. In addition to this, there will also be a number of touchscreen displays to provide direct facts and statistics to the public.

Full operation of the display is expected by the middle of 2012, while partial operation is expected in March.

https://pira.revolutiondata-cms.com/uploads/public/images/Plastic%20Electronics%20Magazine/Consumer%20Electronics/Around%20the%20web/mitsubishi-panorama.jpg

Australia, Japan sign open skies aviation agreement
(Reuters) - Australia and Japan have signed an open skies aviation agreement that will allow Australian carriers fly into smaller Japanese airports, just as flag carrier Qantas looks to set up a low-cost airline partnership in Japan.

The deal allows unlimited flights between the two countries, including to Tokyo's Haneda airport, and lifts capacity restrictions at Tokyo's larger Narita Airport from 2013, Australia's Transport Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday.

More than one million people fly between Australia and Japan each year and passenger numbers are forecast to grow by 25 percent by 2020, Albanese said.

More: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/30/australia-japan-aviation-idUSL3E7KU0BT20110930

Canada expands air agreement with Japan, paving way for more flights
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/breakingnews/canada-expands-air-agreement-with-japan-paving-way-for-more-flights-130907178.html
TOKYO - Canada has expanded its air services agreement with Japan, paving the way for more flights between the two countries.

The move was announced Saturday by International Trade Minister Ed Fast during a visit to Japan where he is working to strengthen Canada's trade and investment ties with Asia.

The new deal calls for greater access for Canadian airlines to Tokyo's Narita International Airport and added flexibility for airline routings.

The agreement also includes additional rights for services between Canada and Japan through third countries.

Fast says the deal will help deepen Canada's trade and investment relationship with Japan.

Under Canada's Blue Sky policy, launched in late 2006, the government has concluded open, new or expanded air services agreements with nearly 60 countries.

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First airplane with washlet in the world? :lol:

ANA 787 Dreamliner to service Frankfurt out of Haneda
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110050242.html
ANA announced Oct. 5 in Tokyo that it will start long-haul international routes to Europe using the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner on Jan. 21, 2012, when it begins its service from Haneda Airport to Frankfurt.

The new route will complement ANA's four existing European flights from Narita to Frankfurt, Munich, London and Paris. The new state-of-the-art Dreamliner will offer passengers a high level of service and comfort.

Business class seats on the new Haneda-Frankfurt route will feature aisle access from all seats, which recline fully into flat beds. Economy class will be equipped with "Fixed Back Shell" seats that let passengers recline without disturbing the people seated in front of them and behind them.

Some recent Rankings.

Haneda named #1 for departure performance in the world with 93.7% of flights departing on time.
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2011/10/04/sea-tac-is-worlds-no-2-airport-for.html

Haneda is now the 4th largest airport hub in the world overtaking Chicago O'hare and is closing in on #3.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/airlines-record-fifth-successive-month-of-5-capacity-growth-worldwide-2011-10-06

^^ Just imagine what will happen when the restrictions for international flights are being lifted, they are not planning an expansion of the international terminal for nothing.

^^ Just imagine what will happen when the restrictions for international flights are being lifted, they are not planning an expansion of the international terminal for nothing.


I think it will probably get back a lot of Japanese transit passengers from Incheon:cheers:

^^ Just imagine what will happen when the restrictions for international flights are being lifted, they are not planning an expansion of the international terminal for nothing.

Once the tourism returns to normal (it slowly is) probably by next year than Haneda will have many passengers :)

Especially when they finish the expansion and the hotel in 2 years.

Air China to fly to Okinawa
http://www.flightcentric.com/FC/FCNews/-Air-China-to-fly-to-Okinawa-2721.aspx
Air China will launch a twice weekly return flight between Beijing and Okinawa from January 11.

The new service will use a Boeing 737-800.

It is the eighth Japanese city to be served by Air China and boosts the total number of round-trip direct flights a week between the two countries to 260. The other seven Japanese cities are Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Sendai and Sapporo.

Sitting on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, Okinawa is a hugely popular tourist destination boasting great scenery, a mild climate and a rich cultural heritage.


Jetstar Japan Appoints Female CEO To Run Low Cost Carrier
TOKYO (Dow Jones)--Jetstar Japan Co. on Tuesday appointed a 51-year-old female chief executive officer to run a low-cost airline venture recently launched by Japan Airlines Co., Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd. and Mitsubishi Corp. (8058). The new airline will launch domestic flights by the end of 2012 and international services within a year with fares that are expected to be at least 40% lower than existing prices.

The newly named Miyuki Suzuki, a novice in the airline industry, held senior positions globally in sectors including finance, media and information technology. Most recently, she was the vice chairman of KVH Co., a Japanese telecommunications and IT services company which was established by Fidelity Investments in 1999.

In a news conference in Tokyo, Jetstar Group chief executive Bruce Buchanan said Suzuki's experience of working in start-up industries and in sectors going through deregulation will be a key asset in heading the company.

More: http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20111011D11JF013.htm

Elegance in the skies.

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Such a nice plane. BTW I wasn't sure where to post this, but I'll put it here

Immigration control to be simpler, quicker
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111014004625.htm
The Yomiuri Shimbun

The government plans to simplify immigration procedures for Japanese and non-Japanese to help cope with the growing numbers of foreign visitors to this country, Justice Minister Hideo Hiraoka said Friday.

The procedures for short-stay visitors for sightseeing purposes will be greatly simplified, and Japanese residents will in principle be able to use unmanned automated gates at immigration control, Hiraoka said after a Cabinet meeting.

The Justice Ministry was set to launch the minister's private expert panel on Friday to begin reviewing immigration administration with the government's goal to increase the number of foreign visitors to 25 million by 2019 in mind.

The ministry hopes to compile an interim report by the end of March and introduce the streamlined procedures in 2013.

The number of foreign nationals arriving in Japan is on the rise, with a record high of 9.44 million last year.

However, visitors often have to wait for more than 20 minutes at the passport control of Narita and other airports as they are required to be fingerprinted, which was introduced in 2007 as part of the government's efforts to prevent terrorists from entering the country.

The panel is expected to discuss the introduction of swift personal identification systems for Japanese, besides the unmanned gate system, such as passports carrying fingerprints, facial characteristics and other digital, individual information.

Methods used to identify foreign visitors using the latest technology will also be studied in the wake of reports that the fingerprint scanners at security checks have been tricked on occasion.

(Oct. 15, 2011)

In other news

Tokyo Narita Airport Opens First Bizav FBO
http://www.ainonline.com/?q=aviation-news/nbaa-convention-news/2011-10-11/tokyo-narita-airport-opens-first-bizav-fbo
Japan’s Narita International Airport is to open its first executive aviation terminal next year. The announcement, which was made at NBAA 2011 in Las Vegas on October 10, is an endorsement of the efforts Narita and the Japan Business Aviation Association have put into developing private aviation in the country. The facility–slated to open in April 2012–will offer customs, immigration and quarantine and a passenger lounge, plus 18 parking stands.

Narita is the ninth busiest airport in the world in terms of international departures, with some 56.5 percent of all international flights in Japan departing from the field. It is about 37 miles away from Tokyo, or about 20 minutes by helicopter. Akiyoshi Watanabe, executive officer and vice president of Narita’s ground operations department, said that the airport has expanded its landing slots to 50 per day for business aviation operations and will look to increase this number in the future.

“Business aviation is coming back to Japan now after the problems earlier this year with the Tsunami,” said Kazuyuki Tamura, director of the Japan Business Aviation Association. He added that the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau is working on relaxing some of the stricter regulations that hinder the development of private aviation, such as ease of registration in Japan, which should encourage development of charter operations. At present there is an installed fleet of around 20 aircraft on the J register, including both turboprops and jets.

Preparing for airport disaster / Haneda to be evacuated 10 minutes after tsunami warning
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111013004990.htm
In the wake of the March tsunami that heavily damaged Sendai Airport, the transport ministry is planning to evacuate people at Haneda Airport within 10 minutes after a tsunami warning is issued, according to sources.

Major coastal airports, including Haneda, Kansai and Chubu, did not have anti-tsunami steps in place as it was assumed they would not be flooded by tsunami, the sources said. The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry now intends to compile basic guidelines and ask coastal airports nationwide to work out specific tsunami evacuation plans, they said.

About 170,000 people use Haneda Airport daily. During peak hours, 50,000 visitors and workers are at the airport, while about 100 airplanes are on runways and aprons. Based on results of past drills and other data, the airport estimates it would take five minutes to alert people of a possible tsunami and another five minutes to actually evacuate them.

The airport believes it would be possible to evacuate people to higher floors within 10 minutes, as 90 percent of them are usually in terminal buildings. When a tsunami warning is issued, the airport plans to urge people to move to the higher floors of buildings --such as the six-story Terminal 1 building, the five-story Terminal 2 building, the five-story International Terminal building and the parking garage. All buildings at the airport are said to be designed to withstand earthquakes with a level-7 intensity on the Japanese seismic scale.

Airplanes on runways will move to nearby terminal buildings to evacuate passengers. If boarding ramps cannot be connected to the planes quickly, passengers will deplane using emergency slides. As for aircraft on Runway D, the airport will consider keeping passengers aboard the aircraft, as Tokyo Fire Department's three-story branch building--the nearest to the runway--is as much as three kilometers away. Runway D is 12 to 16 meters above sea level, higher than other runways at the airport, and some experts argue the column-shaped bottom of Runway D could help reduce the force of waves.

According to the ministry, the nation has 38 coastal airports at heights of up to 20 meters above sea level. This figure accounts for about 40 percent of the total domestic airports and includes Haneda, which is built at 6.4 meters above sea level, Kansai at 5.3 meters and Chubu at 3.8 meters.

These airports had not taken anti-tsunami measures. One source familiar with the aviation industry said the airport operators believed sea walls would lower the risk of flooding by tsunami.

On March 11, however, Sendai Airport, located 1.7 meters above sea level, was flooded by the tsunami that overrode seawalls six to seven meters high. No commercial airplanes were there at the time, but Japan Coast Guard aircraft and other aircraft were washed away. It took the airport about a month to reopen runways, which were buried in debris, and six months for full restoration of terminal buildings.

The ministry set up an expert panel in June to study anti-tsunami measures at airports. The panel is expected to draw up basic guidelines soon calling on airports to create evacuation plans on the assumption airports are susceptible to flooding in events such as a once-in-a-century tsunami.

The ministry also plans to urge airport operators to come up with measures to prevent airplanes from being swept away in floods, as the jets could crash into buildings and cause secondary disasters such as fires, the sources said.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/photo/DY20111014112106218L0.jpg

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/photo/DY20111014112117297L0.jpg

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/302313_286760881341929_269388746412476_1088748_436274640_n.jpg
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/298269_286760891341928_269388746412476_1088749_1617236017_n.jpg
http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/298273_286760898008594_269388746412476_1088750_1608116831_n.jpg
http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/299109_286760858008598_269388746412476_1088747_849322504_n.jpg

Kaitak747, thanks for the pics! ;)

It reminds me of Wizz Air:

http://spotters.net.ua/files/images/0000054799_small.jpeg

http://spotters.net.ua/file/?id=54799

Osaka's Kansai airport begins building budget airline terminal
OSAKA (Kyodo) -- Construction is under way at Kansai International Airport Wednesday for a terminal dedicated to budge airlines at a cost of nearly 10 billion yen.

The construction is due to be completed by autumn next year. The one-story terminal will have a floor space of about 30,000 square meters and can host nine aircraft.

More: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/travel/news/20111019p2g00m0dm136000c.html

This will be Japan's first low cost carrier terminal.

ANA to use Dreamliner to tap overseas markets
All Nippon Airways Co. is targeting overseas customers as competition in the domestic market intensifies, the airline's president, Shinichiro Ito, said Thursday.

At a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, Ito said the arrival of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner will help ANA become Asia's No. 1 carrier. ANA, which in 2004 became the first airline to order the Dreamliner from Boeing Co., last month became the first customer to receive the state-of-the-art aircraft, whose delivery was delayed by more than three years.

ANA's recent establishment of two low-cost carriers, Peach Aviation Ltd. and AirAsia Japan Co., is also part of its efforts to land foreign customers, especially in Asia, a market that is considered to have rich potential, Ito said.

More: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20111021a5.html

Ibaraki Airport voted CAPA's low-cost airport of the year
SINGAPORE — Ibaraki Airport has won the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation's best low-cost airport of the year award.

The airport, which opened last year in Ibaraki Prefecture about 40 km north of Tokyo, received the award for being the most "innovative and influential" airport in the Asia-Pacific region, an official of the Sydney-based CAPA said Thursday.

More: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20111022a7.html?

Also there is a life size model of the Boeing 787 in Haneda until Jan 31, it's free to go inside.

Mitsubishi Regional Jet's YouTube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/MitsubishiAircraft#p/u/5/ME2xW2vFDpc

Haneda marks 1st anniv. of opening of new int'l terminal
Tokyo's Haneda airport on Friday marked the first anniversary of the opening of a new international terminal that paved the way for resuming full-fledged international flights at the airport.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has decided to expand the number of annual slots for international flights at Haneda to 90,000 from 60,000 in a bid to make it a hub airport, and invest about 100 billion yen to increase the number of boarding gates to 18 from 10 by 2013, with expectations that the number of international travelers at Haneda will eventually grow to 12.5 million annually.

More: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/news/20111022p2g00m0bu029000c.html

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/8/8/0/2004088.jpg

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Peach-Aviation/Airbus-A320-214/2004088/L/&sid=96f678f0eb23edd1b1f327a5a5c106b5



http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/8/9/0/2004098.jpg

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Peach-Aviation/Airbus-A320-214/2004098/L/&sid=96f678f0eb23edd1b1f327a5a5c106b5

Passenger numbers double at Haneda
The overall number of passengers on international flights to and from Haneda airport in Tokyo more than doubled in the first year from the previous 12 months after regular international services were resumed last November, according to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau.

The number of passenger arrivals and departures on international flights from last November to October marked a 2.1-fold rise to 6.93 million, just short of the government's target of 7 million, immigration officials said Wednesday.

More: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20111111a3.html

Add another one

Taiwan, Japan sign open skies agreement
TAIPEI —

Taiwan and Japan on Thursday signed an open skies agreement, lifting restrictions on the number of carriers that can offer scheduled passenger services between the two.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it hoped the deal would help spur tourism between the Asian neighbors.

Under the agreement, restrictions on the number of carriers providing regular passenger services on the profitable routes—currently two from each side—will be lifted.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/business/view/taiwan-japan-sign-open-skies-agreement

kxUWOS1zk6c

Japan Airlines announces routes for new Boeing 787
(AP) TOKYO — Japan Airlines Co. on Thursday announced routes for the Boeing 787 planes it expects to start receiving next year.

The company said it will use the new aircraft for several international destinations it currently serves with "medium-sized demand and a high percentage of business travelers." The routes announced by President Masaru Onishi are Narita International Airport to New Delhi, Narita to Moscow, and Tokyo's Haneda Airport to Beijing.

The airline previously announced that it would use the 787 on a new nonstop Narita to Boston route beginning April 22. The flight will be the first direct connection between Boston and Asia, it said.

More: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57339097/japan-airlines-announces-routes-for-new-boeing-787/

Haneda overtakes Heathrow as #3
This week Tokyo Haneda surpassed London Heathrow as the world's third largest airport.

http://www.centreforaviation.com/analysis/beijing-narrows-gap-with-atlanta-as-worlds-busiest-airport-while-haneda-overtakes-heathrow-as-3-64143

Haneda to get new radar equipment to reduce bird strikes
The transport ministry will set up radar equipment at Tokyo's Haneda airport from April to track flocks of birds in an effort to keep aircraft out of their way.

The move, the first such project in Japan, comes as bird strikes are on the rise at the nation's busiest airport, despite daily efforts by ground staff to disperse birds when they are spotted near flight paths.

The new system, using two horizontal and four vertical radars, can pinpoint birds up to 300 meters aloft and show their movements on screens.

If the project proves effective, the ministry will consider installing similar equipment at other airports, ministry officials said.

The radar can measure both the size and type of birds. Bird monitors with portable devices that can display such information on screen will be able to keep track of bird positions and their population.

The monitors will be able to pre-emptively track where birds are likely to fly, and disperse them using popping sounds over loudspeakers, according to the officials.

More: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111215a4.html

Engadget has a review of the new Boeing 787, including videos of the ride. Check it out :)

http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/16/boeing-787-review-anas-dreamliner-flies-across-japan-we-join/

Haneda overtakes Heathrow as #3

Sweet! :cheers:

Haneda will get wireless internet for passengers. So 2/3 of the problems cited by international travellers are being fixed (hotel and wireless internet) with only one remaining (transporation in the early morning).

HP Improves Passenger Experience at Tokyo's Haneda Airport
HP today announced that its networking solutions were selected to build a wireless internet infrastructure to improve passenger services at Haneda Airport's new international terminal in Tokyo.

To offer an unrivaled travel experience, TIAT needed to meet the demand for passenger internet connectivity and manage the increased volume of travelers' baggage at Haneda Airport.

More: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/hp-improves-passenger-experience-at-tokyos-haneda-airport-2011-12-20

ANA to deploy 787 between Tokyo Narita and Seattle and San Jose
All Nippon Airways (ANA) announced (21-Dec-2011) the first destinations it will operate to in the US with Boeing 787 equipment: Tokyo Narita to Seattle and San Jose from FY2012 (12 months commencing 01-Apr-2012). The launch of the service will make the "only Japanese airline to operate the two routes, as well as the only carrier to operate the Narita-San Jose route". It will also mark the first 787 service to/from the US. ANA received its first 787 in Sep-2011 and commenced operations with the aircraft in Oct-2011.

http://www.centreforaviation.com/news/ana-to-deploy-787-equipment-between-tokyo-narita-and-seattle-and-san-jose-134234

New accessories store opens at Narita
http://www.dfnionline.com/images/533/fasola_harajuku_dec2011.jpg
The Fa-So-La Tax Free Harajuku store at Tokyo Narita airport offers fashion accessories, watches and sunglasses.

Japanese operator NAA Retailing has opened a new duty-free store at Tokyo Narita airport terminal one. The Fa-So-La Tax Free Harajuku store offers mostly fashion accessories including handbags, purses, watches and sunglasses, in addition to products under the Harajuku theme—the Tokyo neighborhood is known for being at the forefront of Japanese fashion.

http://www.dfnionline.com/article/New-accessories-store-opens-at-Narita-1861795.html

great airports :)

Japan Airlines announces routes for new Boeing 787


Haneda overtakes Heathrow as #3
No shock there, London has like, 5 airports.

No shock there, London has like, 5 airports.

5? I thought there were only two (Heathrow and Gatwick)? Anyways, I don't know either hehe.

Btw:
I think the Japan airport model would work well for the Philippines (similar to how Haneda and Narita BOTH offer domestic and international flights).

What do you guys think? :)

Please can i find the documents for all japan airports from previous years?
i found thi one for 2010, but i wud like to find the old ones as well. Thank you
this type: http://www.mlit.go.jp/common/000030476.pdf

JAPAN OUTLINES AIRPORT PRIVATISATION PLAN
Japan has announced plans to privatise 94 airports currently operated by the central or local governments in a bid to reduce landing fees and attract new airlines.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has produced a draft bill, which if passed, could lead to private investors being awarded 30 to 50 year concessions to manage the gateways.

The country’s main international airports of Tokyo Narita, Kansai, Nagoya and Haneda are excluded from the plans, which could potentially see gateways such as Sendai and Hiroshima privatised by as early as 2014.

Under the current system, city or regional government-owned companies manage airport terminal buildings and other aviation related infrastructure with the exception of runways and taxiways, which are owned and managed by the central government.

Landing fees at airports in Japan – dictated by the MLIT – are currently among the highest in the world, so under the new policy, the government plans to privatise commercial operations to reduce these fees and make the airports more efficient, competitive, and attractive to airlines.

At the moment, many Japanese airports make losses on aircraft operations, but the passenger terminal operations and other commercial activities are profitable, and the government is hoping that, when it hands over the management concessions, these profits could be used to reduce landing fees.

Under the privatisation plan, special-purpose companies will be set up to manage facilities directly related to aviation and other facilities.

The MLIT plans to decide on the new reforms in 2012 and then it will start consultations with the local governments concerned.

The procedure for entrusting airport management to private entities would then start in 2014 with the completion date for all airports scheduled for 2020.

http://www.airport-world.com/news-articles/item/1307-japan-outlines-airport-privatisation-plan

It's a good plan but I wonder why they don't privatize Haneda or Narita either? Many airlines complain of their high fees too so according to the government privatization can lower that.

JAL to offer world's first in-flight manga service
Passengers on Japan Airlines Co. flights will be offered the world's first in-flight manga service, the company said.

The “Sky Manga” service will be available to all passengers on board JAL's Boeing 787 international flights from later this year, allowing them to read comics on the private screen in front of each seat.

Popular titles such as "Tsuribaka Nisshi" (The fishing fool's diary), "Gaku: Minna no Yama" (Gaku: Everyone's mountain), "Red River" and "Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu" (I'll give my first love to you) will be among 90 volumes available at the launch of the service.

The first three books of 30 titles will be in the initial library, and titles will be replaced every few months. Manga aimed at men and women of all ages will be chosen, JAL said.

More: http://ajw.asahi.com/article/cool_japan/anime_news/AJ201201200032

Japan Airlines adopts NFC-enabled boarding passes to better serve consumers
Japan Airlines has announced that it will be launching a new NFC-based service that will help consumers board planes faster. The airline has partnered with mobile operations company KDDI in order to create NFC-enabled boarding passes. Japan Airlines is not the first to adopt this type of boarding pass.

More: http://www.qrcodepress.com/japan-airlines-adopts-nfc-enabled-boarding-passes-to-better-serve-consumers/856159/

JAL announces route 2012 plans
Japan Airlines (JAL) has outlined its plans for routes, fleet and flight frequency for the first half of fiscal year 2012 year ending March 31, 2013, as the Boeing 787 is introduced into service.

According to JAL, it will launch the first 4X-weekly 787 nonstop service between Tokyo Narita (NRT) and Boston April 22, increasing to daily from June 1.

JAL plans to deploy the 787 on five existing 777 and 767 routes in JAL's international network from the end of March. Routes include NRT-Delhi, NRT-Moscow, Tokyo Haneda (HND)-Beijing, NRT-Singapore (SIN) and HND-SIN.

JAL said it will increase flight frequencies on its NRT-SIN route from 7X-weekly to 14X-weekly from Oct. 28.

On the domestic side, JAL plans to reinstate daily Fukuoka-Hanamaki service from March 25, as well as 2X-daily Niigata-Sapporo service from July 13. The carrier will also schedule an increase in flight frequencies on nine other routes from HND, Osaka Itami, Osaka Kansai, Sapporo and Chubu, and will suspend its Chubu-Ishigaki route from March 25.

Former pilot Ueki aims to guide JAL's TSE comeback as president
Yoshiharu Ueki, son of the late samurai actor Chiezo Kataoka, worked for 35 years as a Japan Airlines Co. (JAL) pilot before being appointed as an executive officer in February 2010.

JAL is hoping to be listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange once again this fall. As an heir to Inamori's management philosophy and the first former pilot to run JAL, Ueki pledges to complete JAL's rehabilitation by working together with employees to keep aspirations high but attitudes down to earth.

More: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/news/20120120p2a00m0na016000c.html

JAPAN OUTLINES AIRPORT PRIVATISATION PLAN


More info on this. There is a very detailed article on the MLIT plans for liberalization and privatization.

Japan considers privatisation of 94 airports
http://www.centreforaviation.com/analysis/japan-considers-privatisation-of-94-airports-66507

ANA, JAL Both Take Title For World's Most Punctual Airline
TOKYO (Nikkei)--All Nippon Airways Co. (9202) and Japan Airlines Co. on Monday each claimed the title of the world's most punctual airline operator for 2011.

ANA topped other major domestic and foreign airlines in arrival performance on a parent-only basis while Japan Airlines Co. ranked No. 1 on a group basis, according to a survey by U.S. research firm Conducive Technology Corp.

On a parent-only basis, ANA achieved an on-time arrival rate of 90.18%, narrowly edging out the 90.14% of JAL, the leader in 2009 and 2010.

JAL led in the newly created category of flights operated and code-shared by major international airlines. In this category, JAL's on-time arrival rate was 86.33%.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20120123D2301N01.htm

ANA launches first 787 long-haul service
All Nippon Airlines (ANA), launch customer for the Boeing 787, operated the first scheduled Boeing 787 long-haul service Jan. 21 from Tokyo Haneda (HND) to Frankfurt (FRA). ATW joined the inaugural flight from Europe to Japan.

Following a traditional Kagami-wari (sake barrel breaking) ceremony, ANA flight NH204 pushed back from the gate with 148 passengers and one infant onboard. The inflight entertainment (IFE) system calculated the route to be 5,821 miles via Northern Europe and Siberia, well below the 787’s top nautical mile range of 8,200. After 10 hr., 56 min., the aircraft touched down at HND, 10 min. ahead of schedule.

The 787’s long-haul configuration provides 46 business-class seats and 112 economy-class seats. The inaugural flight was long enough for passengers to appreciate the aircraft’s onboard technologies, such as its 6,000 ft. cabin air pressure system and improved humidity levels, which makes a noticeable difference in comfort.

The HND–FRA service will become daily from Feb. 1. The four additional flights, which currently use 777-200ERs, will be replaced by 787s in March.

http://atwonline.com/airports-routes/news/ana-launches-first-787-long-haul-service-0123

Japan and UK expand air services agreement to include Tokyo Narita
Japan MLIT announced (24-Jan-2012) it has concluded talks with its UK counterparts and have agreed to expand their bilateral air services agreement, removing flight restrictions at Tokyo Narita Airport, effective from summer 2013 when the annual slots at Tokyo Narita increase to 270,000. The agreement will also allow carriers from Japan and the UK to operate two daily, respectively, between Tokyo Haneda and UK, when daytime slots at the airport double from 30,000 to 60,000. The UK is the 13th nation to have an open skies agreement with Japan and the first European country to do so. Japan has similar agreements with the US and South Korea.

More: http://www.centreforaviation.com/news/japan-and-uk-expand-air-services-agreement-to-include-tokyo-narita-138156

Jetstar Japan May Expand Fleet to 100 Planes by End of Decade
January 29, 2012, 10:18 AM EST

Jan. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Jetstar Japan Co., the budget carrier set to begin flights this year, said it may grow to 100 planes by the end of the decade helped by fares about 50 percent cheaper than full-service airlines.

“I’m quite bullish that this is going to be possible,” Chief Executive Officer Miyuki Suzuki said in an interview in Tokyo yesterday. The carrier, part-owned by Japan Airlines Co. and Qantas Airways Ltd., is ahead of schedule in its startup plans, she said, without giving a date for the first flight.

Jetstar, one of three Japanese budget carriers preparing to start services, expects to win passengers because low fares will lure travelers and spur new demand, Suzuki said. Budget airlines will about triple their share of the domestic market to 35 percent by 2020, she said.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-29/jetstar-japan-may-expand-fleet-to-100-planes-by-end-of-decade.html

AirAsia X to double flights to Tokyo
PETALING JAYA: AirAsia X will double its frequency on the Kuala Lumpur-Tokyo (Haneda) route to meet demand in the Asia-Pacific region.

The airline will increase its flights from three to six times weekly from March 23.

It said this was to service its core markets in Australasia, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea after demand for the route rebounded with healthy two-way traffic.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/1/31/nation/10567627&sec=nation

Honda out to shake up market with 1st biz jet next year
(Reuters) - Honda Motor Co expects to grab at least a quarter of the world market for small business jets soon after delivering its first aircraft next year, achieving the company's long-standing goal of taking to the skies, an executive said.

Honda (7267.T), Japan's No.3 car maker and the world's biggest manufacturer of motorcycles and engines, is in the final stages of getting its $4.5 million HondaJet certified. It aims to ramp up the pace of production to 80 a year in the first half of 2013.

Honda received more than 100 orders for the seven-seater jet in three days when it began taking orders in 2006, promising a quieter engine, 20% better fuel economy over competing models and operational costs of two-thirds or less.

"We're doing with HondaJet what the Civic did to American cars from the 1960s. Our competitors are still producing with technology from the 1990s," he said, referring to Textron Inc's (TXT.N) Cessna and Brazil's Embraer SA (EMBR3.SA), which now dominate the 200-a-year small business jet market.

With operational costs of about $1,000-$1,200 an hour, HondaJet could make travelling in a group of five or six cheaper and more efficient than flying commercially between small cities, he said. Competitors offer at best $1,800 by comparison, he added.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/31/uk-honda-jet-idUSLNE80U00Y20120131

American ending JFK-Tokyo Narita service as it starts JFK-Tokyo Haneda back up in June
American Airlines is ending its New York JFK service to Tokyo's Narita Airport on June 1 at the same time that it is relaunching its JFK service to Tokyo's Haneda Airport.

"It gives our customers more options to fly to the closer in Haneda airport," said American spokesman Jim Faulkner. American's customers who want to fly into Narita will be able to fly the route on Japan Airlines which has a joint business agreement with American.

American received a waiver from the Department of Transportation last year to suspend the route as demand to Japan dropped following the earthquake and tsunami disaster that March. The waiver expires on June 1.

Read more here: http://blogs.star-telegram.com/sky_talk/2012/01/american-ending-jfk-tokyo-narita-service-as-it-starts-jfk-tokyo-haneda-back-up-in-june.html#storylink=cpy

Thursday, 2 February 2012AirAsia Japan received Air Operators Certificate
Published by Ozgur Tore
Thursday, 02 February 2012 15:48

AirAsia Japan Co., Ltd., announced today that it has received Air Operators Certificate, required by the Civil Aeronautics Act, from the Civil Aviation Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

AirAsia Japan carries on preparations including training on flight crew, flight attendants, engineers and guest service staff for its commencement of domestic flight service in August 1,2012 followed by international flight service in October 1,2012.

Kazuyuki Iwakata, CEO of the airline said, “We have achieved a big step to make our ideal “Now, everyone can fly” where everyone can enjoy flights easily at any time come true.

We are accelerating our preparation for inauguration in August and hope to welcome our guests as early as possible in the Sky of Japan.”

Tony Fernandes, Group CEO, AirAsia said, “We announced the establishment of AirAsia Japan in July last year, and it is great to see the progress of preparations that are in place for our operations in just a few months.

I strongly believe in the Japanese market, where low cost travel is still a new concept to many and the potential of this new market excites me.

We are doing good progress and hopefully come this August, the Japanese will have a brand new experience to talk about in both the aviation and travel industry.”Shinichiro Ito, Group CEO, ANA said, “This is a start of a new age in Japanese aviation history with a fully-fledged low cost carrier beginning operations in the largest aviation market in this country this year for the first time.

We aim to generate new demand in this industry together as a whole. ANA believes that AirAsia Japan will make air transport more accessible and provide a convenient and efficient travel option for a wide range of people.“

http://www.facebook.com/AirAsia.Japan

Japan Airlines posts profit of $1.92b
TOKYO : Japan Airlines, which went bankrupt two years ago in one of the country's biggest-ever corporate failures, reported a nine-month profit of almost $2.0 billion Thursday, in part thanks to the strong yen.

The carrier was bailed out by the government after filing for bankruptcy with debts of about 2.32 trillion yen, and emerged from a court-supervised restructuring in March last year.

JAL said net profit reached 146 billion yen ($1.92 billion) in the nine months to December after aggressive cost-cutting. It posted an operating profit of 162 billion yen on sales totalling 909 billion yen in the period.

The company upgraded its forecast for the full year to March to a net profit of $2.1 billion, partly due to a stronger yen that encourages more Japanese to travel overseas.

For the year to March 2012, JAL now expects a net profit of 160 billion yen and operating profit of 180 billion yen on sales of 1.19 trillion yen.

In November, JAL had expected a lower net profit of 120 billion yen and an operating profit of 140 billion yen on sales of 1.15 trillion yen.

During its restructuring the company cut unprofitable routes, reviewed its fleet, and reduced fuel expenses. It also started using a new revenue management system to improve productivity.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific_business/view/1180600/1/.html

Japan Airlines Announces Five-Year Business Plan
TOKYO (Dow Jones)--Japan Airlines Co. on Wednesday announced a five-year plan for business growth, as the carrier emerges from several years of restructuring after filing for Japan's biggest nonfinancial bankruptcy protection in 2010.

The airline said it plans to invest Y478 billion on new planes and parts over the five-year period from April, as it aims to further modernize its fleet.

The new spending plan includes costs to replace older models with fuel-efficient jets, including Boeing Co. 787 midsize planes and Boeing 737s.

The airline aims to save Y50 billion in flight operating costs over five years partly by using more fuel-efficient jets.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20120215D15JF493.htm

ANA to increase international services
All Nippon Airways (ANA) on Friday said it would aim to boost its international capacity by 22% within two years and begin fresh routes as part of a new business strategy.

The carrier, the first to fly Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner late last year, said the plan for fiscal 2012-2013 was “designed to strengthen ANA against a backdrop of global economic uncertainty, the ongoing sovereign debt crisis in the eurozone, high oil prices and fluctuating foreign exchange rates.”

It also comes as it faces tough competition from a growing budget sector and days after an announcement by rival Japan Airlines (JAL) that it would buy more Dreamliners to build on its recovery from bankruptcy.

On Wednesday JAL said it would buy 10 new Dreamliners—to add to an existing order for 35 of the planes—as part of a five-year capital expenditure plan worth more than $6 billion.

ANA said it will introduce new services linking Tokyo’s Narita airport with Seattle and San Jose in the year from April 2012, using the fuel-efficient Dreamliner.

The airline said in a statement that it will adopt multi-brand strategy—which will include its new budget carrier, Peach Aviation—and aim to reduce group costs by 100 billion yen during the period.

More: http://www.japantoday.com/category/business/view/ana-to-boost-international-service

Tokyo Haneda Airport plans major extension of international terminal
JAPAN. Tokyo International Air Terminal Corporation (TIAT) will begin construction this October on a 75,000sq m extension to Haneda Airport’s international terminal.

The extension will significantly enhance capacity and service levels at Haneda, where the Japanese government has committed to increasing international flight slots from the present 30,000 daily slots per year to 60,000 by 2014.

Speaking to The Moodie Report at Haneda, TIAT Vice President Sales & Marketing Hideki Hayashi said that the extension would include further commercial space and a new hotel, along with eight new aircraft stands and an additional security checkpoint.

“Today we have approximately 7 million international passengers, but this will [cater for] 12.5 million passengers,” he said.

TIAT is yet to confirm the layout of the commercial areas in the extension, which will be built on the western end of the current structure.

For duty free, though, Hayashi confirmed the intention to broaden the current relationship under which store operation is managed by Japan Airport Terminal Co (JATCo) – the major shareholder in TIAT.

http://www.moodiereport.com/document.php?c_id=6&doc_id=30013

Tokyo Haneda Airport pax and cargo up 3% in Dec-2011
Japan’s Tokyo Haneda Airport passenger numbers up 3% - traffic highlights in Dec-2011:

Passenger numbers: 6.3 million, +2.7% year-on-year;
Domestic: 4.7 million, +1.9%;
International: 632,776, +8.3%;
Cargo volume: 84,487 tonnes, +3.0%;
Domestic: 73,073 tonnes, -1.8%;
International: 11,413 tonnes, +50.3%.

http://www.centreforaviation.com/news/tokyo-haneda-airport-pax-and-cargo-up-3-in-dec-2011-141014

Source : http://pic.feeyo.com/posts/557/5576512.html

http://pic.feeyo.com/pic/20120227/201202271126131484.jpg

http://pic.feeyo.com/pic/20120227/201202271126549488.jpg

http://pic.feeyo.com/pic/20120227/201202271127357429.jpg

http://pic.feeyo.com/pic/20120227/201202271128043914.jpg

http://pic.feeyo.com/pic/20120227/201202271129455670.jpg

http://pic.feeyo.com/pic/20120227/201202271131094288.jpg

http://pic.feeyo.com/pic/20120227/201202271135523962.jpg

As I understand the first revenue flight of Peach?

3qMS98xjJVU

There is a 5 page article on Japan's future Air Traffic System (Carats)

Japan Battles Gridlock in the Sky
Japan’s airspace, already among the most congested in the world, is facing new pressure as more flights are funneled into Tokyo airports. Airlines and aviation authorities are hoping that a far-reaching air traffic modernization effort can ease the bottleneck and allow additional service to the nation’s capital without causing gridlock.

Traffic saturation at Tokyo’s Narita International and Haneda airports has meant strict limits on new flights, which has been a bone of contention for overseas airlines in particular. But expansion at both facilities is enabling more slots for international service, as well as the rapid emergence of domestic low-cost airlines. Within five years, traffic at the two airports is expected to rise by 20%.

Solving the Tokyo problem has been one of the main drivers behind the Collaborative Actions for Renovation of Air Traffic Systems (Carats) program. Carats is similar in concept to the U.S. NextGen program and Sesar (Single European Sky ATM Research), featuring a long-term vision for introducing a range of new technologies and procedures. The plan extends to 2025, the same target date as NextGen. Airlines, other airspace users, research institutes and government agencies have all been involved in defining the plan.

Carats has other similarities to the U.S. and EU efforts. It is aimed at doubling capacity in congested airspace, reducing fuel consumption and emissions by 10% per flight, and halving accident numbers. The Japanese project is not just focused on Tokyo; it is also intended to increase safety and efficiency at other domestic airports, and provide greater flexibility for Japan’s busy oceanic and overflight routes.

Some significant modernization projects that will be important to Carats have already been completed, such as a redesign of the Tokyo airspace and the streamlining of high-altitude domestic flows using satellite-based area navigation (RNAV). But many more improvements are needed in technology and procedures.

More: http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=awst&id=news/awst/2012/03/05/AW_03_05_2012_p42-428734.xml&headline=Japan%20Battles%20Gridlock%20in%20the%20Sky&next=0

Narita set to open bizjet terminal
NARITA, Chiba Pref. — Narita Airport Authority said Friday it will open on March 31 a terminal for users of business jets.

The terminal for business executives and others flying into Narita aboard business jets is the first in the Tokyo metropolitan area, although Central Japan International Airport near Nagoya and Kobe Airport have such facilities, it said.

The facility, located in a building housing Japan Airlines Co.'s operations center near Terminal 2, will have its own lounge as well as immigration and customs.

Applications for the facility's use will be accepted online from April 2.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20120303a9.html

JAL serving Yoshinoya beef bowls on intl flights
Japan Airlines has started offering gyudon beef bowls for in-flight meals, a dish jointly developed with Yoshinoya Holdings Co., a major beef bowl restaurant chain.

The dish was first offered Thursday on five international routes from Narita Airport to cities in Europe and the United States, including New York, Chicago and London. It will be available for all passengers through the end of May.

This is the first time Yoshinoya has produced in-flight meals.

The beef bowls will be served with more broth than usual as the air in airplane cabins is very dry. Shichimi Japanese chili peppers and pickled ginger are also available with the dish. The beef and rice are heated separately and offered in a paper container.

Beef bowls will be served to economy class passengers as the second meal before landing. First and business class passengers can order the beef bowl any time after the first meal.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/business/T120302004447.htm

Tokyo Haneda-Fukuoka overtakes Haneda-Sapporo as busiest domestic route in Japan in Nov-2011

Tokyo Haneda-Fukuoka: 684,339, +0.6%;
Tokyo Haneda-Sapporo: 649,586, -6.4%;
Tokyo Haneda-Osaka Itami: 451,263, -5.3%;
Tokyo Haneda-Okinawa Naha: 416,312, -0.3%;
Tokyo Haneda-Kagoshima: 188,633, +0.6%;
Tokyo Haneda-Hiroshima: 173,588, -5.7%;
Tokyo Haneda-Kumamoto: 166,600, -0.1%.

http://www.centreforaviation.com/news/tokyo-haneda-fukuoka-overtakes-haneda-sapporo-as-busiest-domestic-route-in-japan-in-nov-2011-144305

ANA May Expand Lufthansa Tie-Up to Boost Traffic
All Nippon Airways Co. (9202) may expand a venture with Deutsche Lufthansa AG (LHA) after greater cooperation with partners helped the Japanese carrier double transfer passengers at its main international hub.

All Nippon may start tie-ups with Lufthansa units Swiss International Air Lines AG, Austrian Airlines AG and Brussels Airlines NV, ANA President Shinichiro Ito said in a March 2 interview. The Tokyo-based airline began the Lufthansa venture in October following the start of a similar accord with United Continental Holdings Inc. (UAL) in April 2011.

“We’ve had a big boost in passengers flying to Narita airport and changing planes” because of the two pacts, Ito said in Tokyo. Widening the Lufthansa agreement “is definitely a possibility,” he said.

The carrier, the only operator of Boeing Co. (BA) 787s, may also start flights to Moscow using the aircraft, as it expands international operations, improves its frequent flier program and updates lounges to win more long-haul and business travelers, Ito said. The carrier is focusing on these markets as new budget airlines threaten to lure passengers on domestic and short-haul international routes.

“About half of Japanese flying abroad use non-Japanese airlines, so there is a lot of room for ANA to expand its international business,” Seigo Ando, a Tokyo-based senior analyst at Deutsche Bank AG, said by telephone. “Moscow is a good destination, as there are many potential passengers related to automakers and other kinds of companies going there from Japan for business.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-05/all-nippon-may-expand-lufthansa-venture-as-tie-ups-boost-traffic.html

ANA to Increase Flights Between Osaka and Hangzhou/Qingdao
Japan’s ANA is to increase the frequency of flights on its routes from Kansai (Osaka) to Hangzhou and Qingdao in China to meet growing market demand.

Currently, ANA flies three times a week between Kansai and Hangzhou and four times a week between Kansai and Qingdao in Boeing 737 aircraft.

From 25 March 2012, ANA will begin serving these two routes daily.

ANA is also continuing to operate a daily service on the Narita (Tokyo)-Hangzhou route.

This expansion in flights means that all ANA routes between Japan and China will be operated on a daily basis from 25 March 2012.

http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/123-ANA.shtml

http://www.facebook.com/AirAsia.Japan


http://www.airasia.com/jp/ja/home.page