Japan’s transport ministry has announced the expansion of terminals 1 and 2 at Tokyo Haneda Airport, combining the two buildings airside. Construction is expected to be completed in the early 2030s.
The expansion will meet the opening of the Haneda Airport Access Line, a new train line to the airport, offering a more convenient and seamless entry into Central Tokyo, with fewer connections.
Construction will involve landfilling an existing large highway. The new terminal building and ramp will come on top of this road:
Haneda Airport is home to three terminals. Terminal 1 handles all domestic flights for Japan Airlines and a few other domestic-only carriers, such as Starflyer and Skymark. Terminal 2 is home to All Nippon Airways and its domestic flights, a portion of its international flights, and other carriers such as Air Do and Solaseed Air.
As of today, the airport is in the midst of an expansion project of both terminals 1 and 2, with both buildings expanding towards the direction of where they are expected to meet during the later construction project. Terminal 1’s current construction is scheduled to be completed next year.
After the completion of the next expansion in the 2030s, passengers can eventually expect Japan Airlines to move its international operations to Terminal 1, just like All Nippon Airways partially began doing in 2020. This will allow for easier connections for those who have a connection between a domestic and an international flight.
Another question the airport may have to grapple with is the resulting long distances between the new gates and the check-in and security areas. An initial look at the airport layout shows that the terminals could span about 1.5 kilometers, or 1 mile long.
Featured image by the author.
