IATA has called on the Japanese government to establish pro-aviation policies such as more open skies agreements and measures to raise cost-competitiveness at airports.
IATA’s director general and CEO, Giovanni Bisignani, noted that recently boosted capacity at Tokyo’s two main airports, Haneda and Narita, were a positive change. “Already it has stimulated low-cost competition and boosted visitor arrivals to a record-breaking 8.5 million last year.”
Noting that this was not enough, Bisignani said Japan’s government was “destroying the international competitiveness of Haneda and Narita by milking them like cash cows”.
He called for the proposed 170 yen (US$2.07) per passenger security fee at Haneda to be abandoned, for international operations charges at Haneda to be brought level with those for domestic operations, and for a permanent compensation solution to cover the greater time and ground transport costs for passengers who choose Narita over Haneda.
Bisignani also encouraged Japan to continue to open its market with further open skies agreements, noting recent deals with the United States, Korea, Singapore and Malaysia.
