ASIA-PACIFIC AIRPORTS MAGAZINE
HIGH-TECH AIRPORT
Narita’s reputation for operating a technologically advanced airport is probably well deserved, and Natsume reveals that there
www.aci-apa.com
AIRPORT REPORT: TOKYO NARITA
The major airline alliances are also well represented at Narita with Star Alliance (33%), oneworld (25%) and SkyTeam (17%) all enjoying a healthy market share. But it hasn’t been all good news for Narita as Natsume admits that the airport has experienced a decline in transfer passengers over recent years. NAA attributes the decline to “strategic shifts by airlines and increasing direct Asia-North America services by US airlines spurred on by advances in aircraft materials and rising aviation demand accompanying rapid economic growth in Asia’s major cities”. Natsume, however, stresses that NAA is actively working to ensure that Tokyo Narita remains an important airport for US airlines and a key hub between North America and Asia.
are two main drivers behind its IT philosophy – the desire to raise customer service standards and Japan’s declining birth rate. “The growth in demand for air travel combined with Japan’s declining birth rate and aging population means that we anticipate difficulty in recruiting our future workforce,” says Natsume. “In the circumstances, labour savings by automation and mechanisation will be an essential part of overcoming this problem. We plan to make use of IT to operate with a smaller workforce at Narita Airport. “This will take the form of introducing automated check-in kiosks and bag drops, installing cutting-edge security screening equipment and using robots to provide passengers with assistance and information. “We also plan to increasingly rely on innovation rather than conventional methods to enable passengers to travel with greater convenience and to provide a more valuable customer experience.” He says that Narita International Airport will facilitate Fast Travel strategies and harness IT to improve safety, convenience and efficiency with the focus on five key areas – clear signage; common use self-service kiosks; common-use bag drops; smoother, more advanced security screening; and improved pre-boarding waiting environments. And it will include robots, with trials of a handful of robotic technologies having already taken place at the airport. They include the use of HOSPI, an autonomous vehicle developed for the medical industry, that can move around buildings on its own making deliveries. “NAA is collaborating with manufacturers on the testing and development of multilingual customer assistance robots equipped with artificial intelligence as well as mobile robots that will escort passengers to their desired facility,” says Natsume. “Robots for security, cleaning and other activities are also being considered and we believe that Narita Airport will be able to demonstrate the world’s most advanced technology at home and abroad when it welcomes visitors to the nation in 2020.”
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