Narita International Airport

Narita International Airport
成田国際空港
Narita Kokusai Kūkō
Aerial view of NRT in 2008
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner/OperatorNarita International Airport Corporation (NAA)
ServesGreater Tokyo Area
LocationNarita, Chiba Prefecture, Japan
Opened20 May 1978 (1978-05-20)
Hub for
Operating base for
Elevation AMSL41 m / 135 ft
Coordinates35°45′55″N 140°23′08″E / 35.76528°N 140.38556°E / 35.76528; 140.38556
Websitewww.narita-airport.jp/en
Maps
NRT/RJAA
Location in Chiba Prefecture
NRT/RJAA
Location in Japan
NRT/RJAA
Location in Asia
Interactive map of Narita International Airport
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
16R/34L 4,000 13,123 Asphalt
16L/34R 2,500 8,202 Asphalt
Runway C 3,500 11,483 Planned
Statistics (2024)
Passengers39,807,651
Cargo (metric tonnes)1,945,795
Aircraft movements242,071
Source: Narita International Airport Corporation

Narita International Airport (成田国際空港, Narita Kokusai Kūkō; IATA: NRT, ICAO: RJAA) — originally known as New Tokyo International Airport (新東京国際空港, Shin Tōkyō Kokusai Kūkō) — is the secondary international airport serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other being Haneda Airport (HND). It is about 60 km (37 mi) east of central Tokyo in Narita, Chiba. The facility, since July 2019, covers 1,137 hectares (2,810 acres) of land and construction to expand to nearly 2,300 ha (5,700 acres) is underway.

The conceptualization of Narita was highly controversial and remains so to the present day, especially among local residents in the area. This has led to the Sanrizuka Struggle, stemming from the government's decision to construct the airport without consulting most residents in the area, as well as expropriating their lands in the process. Even after the airport was eventually completed, air traffic movements have been controlled under various noise related operating restrictions due to its direct proximity with residential neighborhoods, including a house with a farm that is located right in between the runways. As a result, the airport has a mandatory night-time curfew from 00:00 (12:00am) to 06:00 (6:00am) the next day to minimize the noise pollution impact around the airport.

Narita is the busiest airport in Japan by international passenger and international cargo traffic. In 2018, Narita had 33.4 million international passengers and 2.2 million tonnes of international cargo. In 2018, Narita was also the second-busiest airport in Japan in terms of aircraft movements (after Haneda Airport in Tokyo) and the tenth-busiest air freight hub in the world. Its 4,000-meter (13,123 ft) main runway shares the record for longest runway in Japan with the second runway at Kansai International Airport in Osaka. Narita serves as the main international hub of Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways and Nippon Cargo Airlines, and United Airlines, and as an operating base for low-cost carriers Air Japan, Jetstar Japan, Peach Aviation, Spring Airlines Japan, and Zipair Tokyo.

In 2022, Narita was named the fourth-best airport in the world after Hamad International Airport in Doha, Haneda Airport in Tokyo, and Changi Airport in Singapore by Skytrax's World's Top 100 airports.