Japan: Government, local municipalities approve Tokyo Narita third runway

Tokyo Narita Airport has taken an important step in its efforts to add a third runway and extend operating hours, after gaining clearance for its plans from local authorities. The expansion was approved during a meeting this week between the Narita International Airport Corp., the central government, the Chiba prefecture, and local municipalities, according to Japanese media reports. NAA’s latest expansion plans have been under discussion with local groups since at least 2016. Runway construction and potential expansion at Narita have been hugely controversial topics in previous years, and gaining approval from local government and communities is a key milestone. Narita currently has two parallel runways, designated A and B. Runway A is 4,000m long (2.5 miles), and runway B is 2,500m. NAA’s plan calls for construction of another parallel runway, designated runway C, by about 2028. This would be 3,500m long. The airport also proposes extending Runway B to 3,500m to allow it to handle larger aircraft.<br/>