JAPAN’S travel industry has expressed shock at news that the transport ministry is planning to impose a new levy on travellers using Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport.
The ministry intends to introduce the new fee in 2017 to fund the expansion of the airport in the run-up to Tokyo hosting the 2020 Olympic Games.
The proposal is for international travellers to pay an additional 500 yen (US$4.18) levy, while anyone taking a domestic flight will be required to pay an extra 100 yen.
The airport needs to raise about 100 billion yen to build new terminal facilities and expand the apron to enable the facility to add close to 40,000 arrivals and departures a year. Haneda presently handles around 450,000 flights a year.
Eiko Sato, general manager of the public relations department at the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA), told TTG Asia e-Daily: “At present, passengers on international flights are already charged 2,570 yen at Haneda. A new levy will increase the burden on passengers and result in a decrease in travel demand.
“JATA, as a representative of the travel industry, remains opposed to the introduction of any new levies on the use of airport facilities.”
