Internationally, the gap between cargo handling volume and other airports is widening. Narita Airport, which opened in 1978, has been steadily increasing its cargo handling volume. In recent years, however, the volume has remained steady at around 2 million tons per year after peaking in 2004 at 2,312,000 tons. The export of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, scientific optical equipment, and ICs, in that order, followed by imports of pharmaceuticals and telecommunication equipment, and then exports of medical equipment and telecommunication equipment. Imports were pharmaceuticals, communications equipment, and ICs, in that order. Vaccines account for a large share of pharmaceuticals, while communication equipment refers to smartphones and other mobile devices. As a trading port that also includes shipping, Narita Airport is the largest port in Japan in terms of value, with a total of 28.897 trillion yen, making it an important facility with a difference of 10 trillion yen compared to the Port of Tokyo (18.719 trillion yen) in second place. Compared to overseas airports, according to the 2019 ACI (Airports Council International) survey, Hong Kong ranked first (4.7 million tons), Shanghai Pudong (2.82 million tons), Incheon (2.66 million tons), Dubai (2.51 million tons), Doha (2.17 million tons), Taiwan Taoyuan (2.16 million tons), and Narita is in seventh place (2.03 million tons). As with passenger traffic, East Asian air traffic has a large weighting, and the Asia-Europe and Asia-North America transportation lanes are important, accounting for 50% of the world’s total. Narita is currently positioned in 7th place, but its position has been declining year by year in the ACI ranking, peaking at 1st in 1989, 2nd in 1999, 4th in 2009, and 7th in 2019. Incidentally, in 2021, due in part to special demand, it has risen to 5th place, surpassing Dubai and Doha. As this transition shows, Japan-based major forwarders are rapidly shifting their operations overseas, where growth is expected to continue, and there is concern that the gap will widen further.
Current Narita Airport with Reasons for Not Increasing Cargo Handling Volume Narita Airport is the largest trading port in Japan. Its declining international status is partly due to changes in the country’s industrial structure, but one reason for its inferiority compared to airports in other countries is its low cargo transit rate. Taiwan Taoyuan, which ranks higher than Narita Airport, has recently achieved nearly 50% of its cargo volume in transit, and Incheon has about 40% of its cargo volume in transit. In contrast, Narita’s transit rate is about 30%, with 70% being handled as direct shipments. As the international cargo lanes are now dominated by Europe and Asia, and North America and Asia, the airport must be attractive as a hub airport in order to increase the volume of cargo handled by connecting with Asian cities outside of Japan. Airports that actually attract cargo have large cargo areas, modern facilities for greater efficiency, consolidated cargo areas, and attract forwarders to the airport. On the other hand, Narita Airport’s cargo area is cramped and divided into three areas, north and south, and cargo-related facilities are dispersed in 21 locations and are showing signs of aging. In addition to facility problems, Narita Airport is also faced with issues such as the operation of a system to accommodate transit cargo and the establishment of a system for integrated operation inside and outside the airport. As if to illustrate these issues, forwarders have voiced concerns such as “inefficient operations due to the dispersion of cargo areas and sheds,” “unnecessary truck traffic due to the location of forwarder facilities outside the airport,” “long waits due to delays in shed operations during peak periods,” and “chronic congestion in cargo areas due to congestion in import/export truck traffic lines. congestion in the cargo area due to the congestion of import/export truck traffic. Airlines have also cited “inefficient operations due to the dispersion of cargo areas and sheds” and “reduced work efficiency due to the narrow space around facilities such as sheds and aircraft” as problems.
Seek to introduce the world’s most advanced technology and lobby for operational system reforms To solve those issues, facility measures include: improving the efficiency of transit cargo handling facilities, consolidating cargo areas and pursuing efficient airport access, addressing modal shift and joint transportation, developing facilities to capture e-commerce demand The company is also considering the development of a new cargo handling facility, a high-performance sheds (multi-layered), and the development of on-airport forwarder facilities. The company also intends to introduce cutting-edge technologies that are already in use at other airports, such as automation of cargo transfer within the cargo area (introduction of common pallet boxes, etc.). In addition, to improve access to the airport, a dedicated cargo road between the highway interchange and the cargo area is being considered. On the systemic side, the company hopes to solve the problem of transit cargo consolidation procedures, realize procedures that allow forwarders to freely combine flights, make Narita a tri-nation transportation hub for Japanese forwarders, and increase the competitiveness of Narita routes in terms of freight rates by increasing the size of transport lots. In addition, although further study is needed to expand the network, they would like to discuss with related parties an open sky policy for cargo flights to create an environment in which domestic and foreign airlines can operate freely, as well as a fifth freedom (the right of transit) for cargo flights to enable foreign airlines to use Narita as a base for tri-nation transport. Narita Airport will continue to work with the local community to promote cooperation with Narita Airport. Cooperation and co-prosperity with the local community is also important for Narita Airport, and cargo has a significant impact on the surrounding area. By strengthening cargo handling at Narita Airport, we aim to make the airport an attractive hub for global e-commerce, a maintenance center for semiconductor manufacturing equipment and medical equipment, which handle a large volume of cargo, an aircraft engine maintenance center, and an export base for domestically produced perishable goods, so that companies can participate in the airport. He also told the participants that he envisions the airport and the city as an integrated whole, called an “airport city.
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