Completion of New Runway, Runway Extension at Narita to be Postponed; Difficulty Securing Required Land Causing Project Delays

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:27 JST, March 31, 2026

Narita International Airport Corp. is expected to postpone the opening of its planned new and extended runways at Narita Airport, which were originally scheduled to open at the end of March 2029, multiple sources revealed on Tuesday.

The delay is due to difficulties in securing the necessary land to complete the project. The company will provide notice of the change in plans to Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Yasushi Kaneko.

Narita Airport currently has two operational runways, Runway A and Runway B. To meet growing demand, construction began in May 2025 on a new runway, Runway C (3,500 meters), and a 1,000-meter extension to Runway B, which would bring it to 3,500 meters.

As of Feb. 20, 88.4% of the additional land required (1,099 hectares) had been secured, according to the sources. In particular, there is reportedly no prospect of acquiring the necessary land for Runway C. Bringing the new and expanded runways come online will increase the airport’s annual flight capacity from the current 340,000 to 500,000.