Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT) Statistics

Located about 60 kms east of central Tokyo, Narita International Airport has served as Japan's primary gateway for international flights since 1978. It handles most long-haul traffic linking Asia with the Americas and Europe while also operating as the country's largest air-cargo hub.

Around 40 million passengers travel through Tokyo Narita Airport each year.

• Traffic climbed from 35.59 million in 2014 to 44.34 million in 2019 before the pandemic upended travel patterns.
• The pandemic triggered a steep decline. Numbers dropped to 10.49 million in 2020 and bottomed out at 5.24 million in 2021.
• Narita Airport handled 39.81 million passengers in 2024, about 90% of its 2019 pre-pandemic volume.

Narita groups aircraft movements into three categories: passenger flights, cargo flights and other operations, with separate tallies for international and domestic traffic.

• Narita processed 157,703 international passenger flights and 47,721 domestic passenger flights in 2024. International services made up about 77% of passenger movements, with domestic flights accounting for roughly 23%.
• Cargo activity included 30,069 international cargo flights and 2,100 domestic cargo flights in 2024, reflecting a sharp expansion of domestic freighter networks.
• Other movements (ferry flights, technical stops, private aircraft) totaled 3,205 international operations and 1,273 domestic operations that year.
• Unlike US FAA classifications, NAA's reports do not break out air taxi, general aviation and military operations.

Narita's busiest routes connect Japan with major Asian cities, and short-haul flights generate the highest passenger volumes.

• The Seoul–Incheon (ICN) route ranked third among the world's busiest city pairs in 2024, with 5.4 million scheduled airline seats. According to OAG’s ranking methodology, this figure covers flights in both directions on the route.
• Hong Kong (HKG) remains a strong financial hub with year-round demand.
• Bangkok (BKK) and Singapore (SIN) round out the top five Asian destinations, serving both leisure travelers and business passengers.
• Domestically, Sapporo (CTS) and Fukuoka (FUK) lead the rankings from NRT.

• The airport handled 1.87 million metric tons of international cargo in 2023.
• International cargo peaked at 2.59 million metric tons in 2021, driven by rising e-commerce and medical-supply shipments.
• Pre-pandemic volumes stood at 2.04 million metric tons in 2019 and 2.20 million metric tons in 2018.
• Narita processed 1.95 million metric tons of international cargo in 2024, roughly 75% of the 2021 peak.

• Narita recorded no major accidents resulting in the total loss of an aircraft (aka hull loss) or fatal passenger accidents from 2014 to 2024 (JTSB).
• The Japan Transport Safety Board investigates all incidents and issues safety recommendations.

Narita is moving ahead with significant infrastructure upgrades. The fiscal 2025–2027 budget allocates ¥585 billion to expand capacity and improve efficiency.

• The "New Narita Airport" concept focuses on designing a passenger terminal that consolidates functions and streamlines transfers.
• Runway B will be extended and a new Runway C built under the "Further Functional Enhancement" project, with ¥360 billion set aside for runway work during 2025–2027.
• These runway projects aim for completion by the end of fiscal 2028 (March 2029).
• Cargo-area development continues with a basic plan for a "New Cargo Area" that integrates neighboring land to stay competitive as a logistics hub.
• The "Gear Up NRT" Mid-Term Management Plan (fiscal 2025–2027) targets faster transformation and added value for stakeholders.