Originally Posted by
bocastephen
I'm not seeing the need for this - .... an airport with declining traffic?
Where are you getting this information? Is it based on the fact or is it based on your imagination? DL and UA has pulled out of intra-Asia routes and not making use of fifth freedom rights, that is truth. But you are simply assuming that since DL and UA has pulled out of intra-Asia flights out of NRT then passengers on intra-Asia flights out of NRT has declining? You think DL and UA alone determines traffic at NRT?
International passenger traffic at NRT on year 2017, comparing with same month a year ago:
Jan: 102%
Feb: 104%
March: 105%
April: 105%
May: 104%
June: 105%
July: 103%
Aug: 103%
Sept: 102%
Oct: 102%
Nov: 103%
Dec: 103%
Definitely NRT airport authority does not think passenger traffic at NRT is declining. Japanese government has lifting international traffic restriction at HND, that is true, but HND will remain as heavily slot controlled airport. No airlines will able to establish the flight to HND anytime they want simply because they want to.
Then the fact remains, Tokyo needs more than one airport. HND alone cannot handle entire domestic, international, and cargo air traffic demand for greater Tokyo area.