AIRLINES have welcomed the announcement by the operator of Tokyo’s Narita International Airport that it is slashing landing fees for new airlines applying to use the airport, and for airlines wishing to operate flights to new destinations.
The reductions are designed to make Narita more attractive for foreign airlines, which frequently complain that its landing fees are too high.
Narita International Airport Corp will cut landing fees by 50 per cent in the first year for a newcomer or for an existing airline that introduces a new route from the airport. A 25 per cent reduction will be in place for the second year.
In combination with existing incentives for airlines, the new offer will make the first year of their operations free of charge.
“The objectives of the new Narita Promotional Incentives scheme are to take advantage of the expansion of our capacity to 300,000 aircraft movements yearly by the end of fiscal 2014, further expand our international and domestic networks, and augment services on our existing routes,” a spokesman for the company told TTG Asia e-Daily.
“These comprise the source of Narita’s competitive edge, allowing us to operate services to additional destinations in Japan and abroad, improve connections from overseas to every region of Japan and vice versa, thereby increasing inbound passenger traffic and contributing to the government’s effort to promote tourism in Japan.”
Ryoko Matsumoto, an official in the Tokyo office of Delta Air Lines, said the US-based company has no plans to add new routes out of Narita currently, but “we always welcome Narita airport’s efforts to make airlines’ operations smoother and to provide better services to our customers”.
Concurred Cathay Pacific Airways, which said it “welcomes any cost-reduction initiative”.
