Narita Airport begins full-scale work on expansion, including third runway
A ceremony has been held at Narita Airport, near Tokyo, to mark the start of full-scale construction work to extend one of the current runways and build a third one.
Seventy people, including transport ministry officials and the governor of Chiba Prefecture, attended Sunday's event held by Narita International Airport Corporation.
The company plans to extend the 2,500-meter-long B Runway to 3,500 meters, and to build a new 3,500-meter C Runway to raise the number of takeoffs and landings to 500,000 per year -- about 1.7 times the current level. It aims to complete the project by the end of March 2029.
The preparatory work that has already been carried out includes the construction of an underground tunnel for the roads on the site. Full-scale construction, including ground improvement work and landscaping, has begun at the site where the third runway will be built.
The head of Narita International Airport Corporation, Tamura Akihiko, said he believes the expansion will create a new future for the area and that his firm will carry out the work safely and smoothly with the local community's understanding.
The company says it has already secured 900 of the approximately 1,100 hectares of land needed for the project, and is working with local municipalities to acquire more.
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