IATA has called on the Japanese government to prepare the country’s airport infrastructure for the 2020 Olympics.
The country has set aggressive targets for increasing its international arrivals, with 40 million visitors expected to arrive by the time Tokyo hosts the Olympics in 2020, and then 60m in 2030. And speaking at the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, IATA’s director general & CEO, Alexandre de Juniac, outlined a series of initiatives that he believes will be crucial to the success of this strategy.
These include the introduction of “smart” security and self-service technology to reduce queues, developing low-cost terminals, and opening up airspace over central Tokyo.
“The Olympics are an important milestone and an impetus to get things done. But it must be part of a long-term joined-up planning process focused on the big prize of welcoming 60 million visitors to Japan annually,” said de Junaic.
International visitor arrivals to Japan have surged in recent years, almost tripling from 8.4m in 2012 to more than 24m in 2016.
