Narita Int’l Passengers Soar in April-Sept.

Jiji Press

11:46 JST, October 27, 2023

Narita, Chiba Pref. (Jiji Press)—The number of international passengers using Narita International Airport near Tokyo in April-September increased 2.9-fold from a year before to 12,664,505, reflecting the lifting of COVID-19 border controls, the airport’s operator said Thursday.

The figure topped 10 million for the first time on a fiscal first-half basis since the pandemic. The number of international passengers from abroad increased sevenfold to 8,042,880.

The number of domestic flight passengers rose 14 pct to 3,908,897. It was the second highest on record for the first half of a fiscal year.

International flight arrivals and departures in the second half of fiscal 2023 “are expected to recover to about 85 pct of the 2019 level” just before the pandemic, Narita International Airport Corp. President and CEO Akihiko Tamura told a news conference.

But “sentiment may be dampened especially among risk-sensitive Japanese customers,” due to a deterioration in the Middle East situation, he added, also expressing concern about a possible fuel price increase.