Naha Airport to expand its international terminal

April 24, 2015 Ryukyu Shimpo

Naha Airport Building Co. Ltd., (NABCO) is to expand part of the International Terminal Building. The new area is expected to open in November 2016. The International Terminal Building itself opened in February 2014. A response to an increase in the number of foreign tourists, this will be the first time the terminal has been modified.

The additional building will have three levels and a total floor space of approximately 3,000 square meters. The expansion will add another boarding gate that will allow two more boarding bridges for smoother boarding. With existing boarding bridges, the terminal can accommodate boarding of up to six small airplanes at one time. The extension will also include a couple of new shops.

A spokesperson of NABCO said, “We expect the number of foreign tourists to increase in the future. So we need to enhance the features of the international airport.”

The number of foreign tourists in 2014 was a record high 986,000 people, an increase of 57.2 percent compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, some problems such as the smallness of the airport building and passengers’ bus transportation to and from airplanes are also being looked at.

A building to connect the international terminal building with the domestic terminal is due to be finished in 2018.

(English translation by T&CT and Megumi Chibana)

Go to Japanese


　


Previous Article:
Next Article:

[Similar Articles]