Tokyo airport's capacity boost hits turbulence from US

New flight path at Haneda Airport is key to Japan's 40m visitor goal

20181004N Haneda landing and departure (REUTERS)

Planes on the runway at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. Japan aims to increase international flights there with a more efficient flight path.

KAZUHIRO OGAWA, Nikkei staff writer

November 5, 2018 12:30 JST

TOKYO -- Preparations to shift flight patterns at Tokyo's Haneda Airport to expand capacity before the 2020 Summer Olympics have stalled, as Japan and the U.S. military butt heads over nearby airspace.

Under the new pattern first announced by Japan's transport ministry in 2014, planes would land and depart at Haneda by flying over central Tokyo rather than over Tokyo Bay so that runways can be used more efficiently. The government has since met with local residents to discuss such concerns as noise and safety.