AlwaysAisle

Narita International Airport Corporation, the company that operates passenger terminals at NRT, has established a working group to plan the consolidation of existing terminals. Currently, NRT has three terminals. The plan is to consolidate the current three terminals into one big terminal. By end of this year, the working group will complete the preliminary plan for the consolidation to a single terminal and the timeline of the work.

This sounds like a big construction project which can last a few years, given that NRT will continue to operate as usual. It is hard to imagine during the construction passenger experience at the terminal will be a pleasant one. One advantage is that NRT not being 24 hrs. airport. They can plan the work which will have the biggest disruption to passengers to be conducted when the terminal is closed.

BuildingMyBento

They can get help from Narita farmers to demolish the other two

Unimatrix One

Didn't they just open terminal 3? It also wasn't so long ago that they demolished and rebuilt most of terminal 1. Why the need for more construction? Why now? It's not like tons of people make connections between the alliances, so why the need to consolidate the terminals?

Japan loves to spend massive amounts of money on unnecessary airport facilities. (I'm looking at you, Kobe.)

AlwaysAisle

Terminal 3 was opened in 2015, it is 7 years old since Terminal 3 started operation. Terminal 3 was built for LCC and the building itself was built with a minimal cost and maintenance concept, which does not have any commonality with other terminals. Terminal 3 does not have direct train station access, and also lacks convenient vehicle access to the terminal.

Terminal 1 North Wing and Terminal 1 Central Building renovation were completed in 1996, followed by renovations of Terminal 1 South Wing in 2006. Although Terminal 1 went through renovation about 20 years ago, the foundations and infrastructures of the building are from 1978 when NRT opened. Constructions of the airport itself started in the '60s.

Terminal 2 was opened in 1992 and is 30 years old already. Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 buildings are in need of constant maintenance, which is not cheap due to their age. Terminal 3 can use better access and lacks commonality with other terminals which limit gate use flexibility.

With all these considered, one option for NRT is not to maintain and rebuild each Terminal building separately but to build a totally new terminal that will handle all current Terminal 1, Terminal 2, and Terminal 3 functions. Looks like NRT chose this option.

joejones

Found an image on the NAA website which shows where they were previously planning to stick a new fourth terminal. My guess is that they build the new concourses first (the H-shaped building), and then tear down and replace the existing terminals piecemeal.

AlwaysAisle

Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 are operating separately, but the buildings itself is touching each other. The furthest end gate of Terminal 1 South Wing, is Gate 58B at Satellite 5. The furthest end gate of Terminal 2 in the main building is Gate 68. Gate 58B of Terminal 1 and Gate 68 of Terminal 2 are only separated by 290 meters (317 yards).

If all they want is to connect secure gates side of Terminal 1, Terminal 2, and Terminal 3, then that itself is not a lot of work to accomplish. When Terminal 1 Satellite 5 extension was completed in 2016 (Gate 58A and Gate 58B) even Narita International Airport Corporation said that they can connect Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 some time in future.

By the end of the year, Narita International Airport Corporation will come up with the preliminary plan and the time line for the consolidation of terminal buildings. I hope it will not be a plan like this...

AlwaysAisle

Narita International Airport Corporation had a press conference at the end of March and talked about the new consolidated terminal.

New Terminal Location (PDF in Japanese only)

The information is in Japanese only but at the center "新旅客ターミナル" is the proposed area for the new consolidated terminal, which is at the south end of the current Terminal 2. The location was chosen so that when a new third runway is built at NRT, this new consolidated terminal will be at the center location of three runways. The current plan is when half of the new consolidated terminal is complete, relocate the function of Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 to the new consolidated terminal and close Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. When the entire new consolidated terminal is complete, then move the function of Terminal 1 to the new consolidated terminal and close Terminal 1. Sounds like the construction of the new consolidated terminal will not disrupt passengers at the current Terminal 1, 2, and 3.

joejones

The PDF seems to show Terminal 1 closing first, then Terminals 2 and 3...

Q Shoe Guy

This will be like the non-stop construction at Shinjuku station.