Tokyo’s Narita Airport has cut the landing fees it charges to international flights arriving at the airport by 5.5 per cent.
The fees currently range from 1,650 yen (US$20.60) to 2,100 yen (US$26.27) per ton according to noise index. The rates will now be reduced by 100 yen (US$1.25) for each category.
Apart from a temporary reduction during the 2008 financial crisis, this is the first time the airport has cut the fees since 2005, according to The Yomiuri Shimbun.
A spokesperson from Japanese airline ANA said that Narita was making the reduction because it sees Tokyo Haneda Airport as a growing rival for international flights (see here) and trying to make itself more attractive to airlines.
Although primarily serving domestic connections, Haneda has recently been gaining an increasing number of international flights (see here and here). It has the advantage of being closer to the centre of Tokyo (see here).
The ANA spokesperson said that while the reduction was significant, it still left Narita more expensive than other regional airports.
“It’s a good move,” they said. “But still the level is not lower than other airports such as Hong Kong and Seoul Incheon.”
They said that the reduction was unlikely to have a direct impact on ANA fares.
Nicholas Olczak
