## (3) Constructing air traffic system

### a. Developing new air traffic systems

A long-term vision for the future air traffic systems for 2025 was formulated as CARATS (Collaborative Actions for Renovation of Air Traffic Systems) to correspond to increasing demand for air traffic capacity and responses to diversified needs. At the same time, long-term plans for an interoperable global air traffic management (ATM) system has been developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the U.S. and EU. CARATS is built to mainly achieve a highly integrated ATM system that manages the flight paths of aircraft from departure to arrival. A roadmap for measures to realize CARATS has been established to monitor implementation status continuously. In FY2013, issues such as implementation plans for individual measures defined in the roadmap and indicators that represent the status of achievement of CARATS were discussed among industrial-government-academia joint members.

Specifically, the possible installation and deployment of high-standard area navigation (RNAV) and RNAV for small aircraft have been debated in order to cut flight duration and fuel consumption by shortening flight path and to reduce the number of cancelled flight through improving airport's operation level. In addition, studies have been launched with a view to creating high-altitude airspace sectors mainly occupied by cruising aircrafts to increase the air traffic control capacity, introducing routine and non-urgent Air/Ground communications utilized by data link technologies over the domestic airspace, providing electronic terrain and obstacle data to prevent collisions and so on.

### b. Pursuing enhancing metropolitan airport capacities

Operation of parallel-crossed four runways was installed at Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) in October 2010 to expand the capacities of airports and airspaces in the metropolitan area for providing of better air transportation services. After a period of familiarization with a new method of operation using these runways, an annual capacity of 447,000 arrivals/departures was achieved in March 2014. Examination will be continued to probe into specific measures to consolidate the airport facilities.

At Narita International Airport, simultaneous parallel departure procedure has been introduced since October 2011 to realize a yearly capacity of 300,000 arrivals/departures within FY2014 without expanding noise-impacted zone, and familiarization with this operation has been steadily proceeded with.

## (4) Strategic promotion of international aviation measures

International aviation measures are many and diverse, ranging from air talks, through safety and security, such that they need to be put into practice from strategic, comprehensive perspectives.

According to estimates by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the volume of air transportation in the Asia-Pacific region is projected to rise at 6.2% per annum on the average over the 20-year period from 2010, suggesting that the region will grow into the world's largest aviation market in the near future. In the circumstances, what is of strategic importance to Japan is not only to contribute to strengthening of the aviation networks in the region but also to actively capture the impetus of the region in which numerous aviation projects are in progress.

As part of the strategic impetus for driving international aviation measures, the Council on the International Deployment of Aviation Infrastructures was inaugurated in April 2013 to broaden the scope of approaches to the global deployment of aviation infrastructures in a public-private partnership. The Council has since hosted sales and other campaigns with public and private sectors working in accord.

## 4 Facilitating Traffic Access to Airports

The world’s major airports (London, Paris, Hong Kong and else) are located within a railway reach of about 30 minutes from downtown. In contrast, Japan’s Narita International Airport used to take about a 50-minute train ride to reach from downtown Tokyo. With the opening of the Narita Rapid Railway Access Line in July 2010, which connects Hokuso Railway trains to Narita International Airport, the time required to travel from downtown Tokyo was reduced to around 30 minutes. In parallel with this, Keisei Electric Railway Nippori Station was improved to augment the convenience of transferring passengers. To reinforce car access to the airport, the development of an expressway network has been driven, including the development of the area on the eastern side of the Tokyo Outer Ring Road.