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Since the decision to locate the New Tokyo International Airport in an
area around Sanrizuka, Narita City of Chiba Prefecture received cabinet approval
in July 1966, construction work has been conducted by the New Tokyo International
Airport Authority. At present, the construction of the facilities necessary
for the opening has been completed and the facilities are ready to be used at
any time. The opening of the airport was originally scheduled for April, 1971,
but has been delayed due to the difficulties incurrent in the purchase of the
site and problems in securing aviation fuel.
At the Tokyo International Airport at Haneda (the existing airport), both
the number of passengers handled and the volume of freight have been increasing
dramatically. The capacity of the airport has reached its limit, and restrictions
have been placed on the number of departures and arrivals since the summer of
1976. Consequently, steps have been taken to facilitate an early opening of
the new airport. Specific steps were: the removal of the two steel towers installed
by opposition groups which were in violation of the aviation law; environmental
preservation measures for the regional area surrounding the new airport; and
provision of transportation service for aviation passengers between the central
part of the city to the new airport. As a result, the airport is now finally
going to be opened on March 30, 1978.
The opening of this new airport should, however, not be interpreted as termination
of the so-called Narita affair which has gone through various shifts and twists
for more than ten years. It should then be considered to be a new beginning
for establishing a true harmony between the new airport and the related regional
'community in the future.
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