02 AIRPOR
Airport Development Law and airport classifications
The Airport Development Law is the basic law enacted in 1956 to govern the development of airport facilities. The law categorizes airports into 3 types. Type 1 are international airports, including Tokyo International Airport (Haneda), Osaka International Airport (Itami), New Tokyo International Airport (Narita), and Kansai International Airport. Type 2 are key domestic airports, provided by the government (the Minister of Transport). Type 2 airports are classified into 2 subcategories by the managing authorities. Those managed by the Minister of Transport are called Type 2A airports, while those managed by local governments are called Type 2B airports. At the beginning of 1998, there were 21 Type 2A airports and 5 Type 2B airports. Type 3 are local airports, established and managed by local governments. There were 56 Type 3 airports at the beginning of 1998, with 7 others either under construction or in planning.
Airport Development Special Account
The Airport Development Special Account is a system similar to the Airport and Airway Trust Fund in the United States. When the first five-year Airport Development Plan was introduced, there was no financial system for airport development. The second five-year Plan, however, had a budget almost 5 times that of the first five-year Plan. This led to general recognition that a system must be developed to secure revenue sources for funding projects in the second five-year Plan. Given this background, the Airport Development Special Account was established in 1970 to secure specific revenue sources. The main revenue sources for the account are (1) airport user charges such as landing and parking fees, (2) air navigation facility charge, and (3) aircraft fuel tax. There are no direct levies on airport service users like the U.S. airline ticket tax.
