More about Knowing the AirportHistory of Narita International Airport
Below is the history of Narita International Airport.
On May 20, 1978, Narita International Airport was opened with the name of “New Tokyo International Airport.” The airport has the following history since its opening.
Month/Year | Event |
|---|---|
May 1978 | New Tokyo International Airport (Narita International Airport) was opened. Runway A (4,000 m) was put into service, and Passenger Terminal 1 was opened. |
August 1983 | Aviation fuel pipelines were put into service. |
March 1988 | The number of passengers reached 100 million people. |
The Airport at the time of its opening
Month/Year | Event |
|---|---|
March 1991 | The JR Line and the Keisei Electric Railway Line started running to the Narita Airport Station in the basement of Passenger Terminal 1. |
December 1992 | Passenger Terminal 2 was opened. |
February 1993 | The number of passengers reached 200 million people. The new airport control tower (height: 87.3 m) was put into service. |
April 1997 | The number of passengers reached 300 million people. |
February 2001 | The number of passengers reached 400 million people. |
April 2002 | Temporary Runway B (2,180 m) was put into service. |
October 2002 | The Shibayama Railway Line started operation. |
April 2004 | The name of the airport was changed from New Tokyo International Airport to Narita International Airport. Narita International Airport Corporation was established. |
September 2004 | The number of passengers reached 500 million people. |
June 2006 | The renovated Passenger Terminal 1 was opened (with the airline counters rearranged and a duty-free shopping mall, narita nakamise, opened). |
April 2007 | A duty-free shopping mall, Narita 5th Avenue, was opened in Passenger Terminal 2. |
November 2008 | The number of passengers reached 700 million people. |
October 2009 | Runway B (2,500 m) was put into service. |
Opening ceremony of the Station
Terminal 2 at the time of its opening
Renovated Terminal 1
Narita 5th Avenue
Runway B at the start of service
Month/Year | Event |
|---|---|
July 2010 | The Narita Sky Access Line started operation. |
February 2012 | The number of passengers reached 800 million people. |
March 2012 | An exclusive terminal for international business jets, Business Aviation Terminal - Premier Gate -, was opened. |
December 2014 | The number of passengers reached 900 million people. |
April 2015 | Passenger Terminal 3 was opened. |
July 2017 | The number of passengers reached 1 billion people. |
November 2019 | The number of passengers reached 1.1 billion people. |
September 2020 | The Ramp Central Tower was opened. |
December 2023 | Narita Airport was awarded a 5-star rating in the World Airport Rating by Skytrax. |
October 2024 | The number of passengers reached 1.2 billion people. |
Exterior appearance of Terminal 3
The 1 billionth passenger
The Airport was awarded a 5-star rating