Flights to Tokyo Narita

Airport Tokyo-Narita International Airport NRT

Narita International Airport is an international airport in Narita, a Japanese city in the Chiba prefecture. It is in the eastern part of the Greater Tokyo Area, 60 km northeast of Tokyo and 7 km from Narita. Until 2004, Narita Airport was known as New Tokyo International Airport.

Opened in 1978 Narita International airport is responsible for the majority of international passenger transport to and from Japan. It is also one of the main air traffic hubs between Asia and America. Due to growing passenger numbers the decision was made in 1962 to construct another airport in order to help out Tokyo-Haneda airport. The new airport in the capital city was to take over international air traffic.

Tokyo-Narita is now one of the most expensive airports in the world and there are plans to move international air traffic back to Tokyo-Haneda Airport in 2009. Tokyo-Narita Airport is the second busies airport in Japan and is the international hub of Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, and the regional hub of United Airlines.

European destinations are served by the airlines Air France (Paris-Charles de Gaulle), Austrian Airlines (Vienna), Alitalia (Milan-Malpensa, Rome-Fiumicino), British Airways (London-Heathrow), Finnair (Helsinki), KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam), Lufthansa (Frankfurt, Munich), Scandinavian Airlines System (Copenhagen) and Swiss International Air Lines (Zurich).

Other airlines at Narita International include Aeroméxico (Mexico City, Tijuana), Air Canada (Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver), Air Central (Nagoya, Sendai), Air Japan (Honolulu), All Nippon Airways (Fukuoka, Hangzhou, Shenyang, Xiamen), Ibex Airlines (Hiroshima, Sapporo-Chitose), Korean Air (Busan, Los Angeles), MIAT Mongolian Airlines (Seoul-Incheon, Ulanbaatar) and United Airlines (Seattle/Tacoma, Singapur, Washington-Dulles) at terminal 1 and Aeroflot (Moscow Sheremetyevo), Air China (Chengdu, Dalian, Peking, Shanghai-Pudong), Air India (Delhi, Mumbai), American Airlines (Chicago-O’Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, New York-JFK), Biman Bangladesh Airlines (Bangkok, Dhaka), Garuda Indonesia (Denpasar, Jakarta), Japan Airlines (Osaka-Kansai, Qingdao, São Paulo-Guarulhos), JALways (Kona, Saipan), Malaysia Airlines (Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur), Philippine Airlines (Cebu, Manila), Qantas (Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney), SriLankan Airlines (Colombo, Male) and Vietnam Airlines (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City) at Terminal 2.

Air New Zealand (Auckland, Christchurch), Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) and Continental Airlines (Houston-Intercontinental, Newark) moved to Terminal 1 in 2007.

In contrast to the busiest airport, Tokyo-Haneda International Airport, which is near Tokyo and hardly operates international flights, Tokyo-Narita is far from Central Tokyo and even located in another prefecture. Even using the fastest train, it takes an hour to reach Tokyo-Narita and those going by car will often have to wait in traffic jams.

Residents and businessmen from West Tokyo and the Kanagawa prefecture are much closer to Haneda Airport. There are plans to open the Narita Rapid Railway in 2010 and this will partly solve the problem making the journey time 20 minutes shorter.

Narita airport is already accessible using the Narita Express and Skyliner trains from Tokyo. Narita Express is one of the fastest rail links between city and airport.

Skyliner trains from Keisei Railway also need only 51 minutes to Nippori Station and 56 minutes to Keisei Ueno Station. This link from Narita Airport to Nippori is therefore the fastest way of getting from the airport to Central Tokyo.

In the late 80s, the railway companies JR and Keisei Electric Railway had to provide links to Narita Airport. Both terminals therefore now have underground stations thereby allowing for a direct link to the airport. Higashi-Narita Station formerly Narita Airport Station is at terminal 1 and the Airport Terminal 2 Station at terminal 2. This is why it is important to be aware of the terminal and the railway company. The two terminals are only linked by shuttle buses.

Transfer to Haneda Airport is by limousine or trains operated by Airport Limited Express. Keisei also operates a transfer service from Narita Airport to Haneda Airport and cooperates with Toei Asakusa Line and Keihin Kyuko Railway. Buses and taxis are widely available at both terminals. Local buses serve regional locations from the airport, however, these are often much sower.

The main way of reaching Narita airport is by Higashi-Kanto Expressway, which connects with the Shuto Expressway at Funabashi in Chiba.

• URL: Official website
• Parking: yes; paid short and long term parking, both terminals have their own multi storey car park.
• Nearby cities: Narita (7 km), Sakura (15 km), Chiba (30 km), Narashino (33 km), Abiko (35 km), Funabashi (37 km), Ichihara (39 km), Kashiwa (39 km), Ichikawa (42 km), Matsudo (44 km)
• Directions by car: Higashi Kanto Expressway, Shin-Kuko Expressway; Route 295; Route 296, Yokaichiba - Sakura Road or Narita - Matsuo Road.
• Stations: Higashi-Narita Station (formerly Narita Airport Station in Terminal 1) and the Airport Terminal 2 Station (in Terminal 2): Narita Express to Tokyo Station, Skyliner.