The daytime ban on business jet access to Haneda airport in downtown Tokyo has been removed following mounting pressure from the global business aviation community. The eight-slot gesture from the state-owned airport is seen by the industry as an easing of the hard line approach towards business aircraft in the country, where the fleet only totals 54 aircraft, including turboprops and government agency-owned types.
"This is big news for our industry," said Japan Business Aviation Association auditor Kazuyuki Tamura at the show. "For years we have been calling on the government to provide daytime access to Haneda."
The nearest airports for business aircraft are Narita and Nagoya, which are 90 and 120 minutes away, respectively. "People who are traveling to Tokyo want to land in Tokyo, or as close to the city as possible," Tamara continued.
In 2007 there were 1,003 business aviation movements at Haneda - which represented 0.34% of the airport's total. This is expected to leap to 10,200 (3%) by the end of the year, as all the available slots are snapped up.
The JBAA along with the business aviation community has been battling since its conception in 1996 to raise the profile of business aviation in Japan, where such aircraft are regarded as rich men's toys and not as business tools, Tamara says. "It is difficult to change people's perceptions but we are trying," he added.
In December, JBAA will hold a forum where members of the government and the business community - including the leading airframers - can come together.
"This will give us a chance to educate the regulators and help them see the value of business aircraft, Tamura says.
"We are calling on the government to develop a set of regulations tailored to business aircraft charter. This will help to open up the air taxi market in our country," said Tamura.
Source: Flight Daily News
