Most Japanese Airports in Debt, Face Closure

Most Japanese Airports in Debt, Face Closure 

By Peter Valk
Epoch Times Staff
Created: Mar 22, 2010
Last Updated: Mar 22, 2010

source: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/31869/

The majority of Japanese airports are facing serious financial problems and may be forced to close unless they attract more passengers, according to a Japanese Ministry of Transport survey, reports the Japan Times.

The survey indicates that 72 of the 98 Japanese airports have low viability. One of the main reasons is that huge amounts of money have been invested in the construction of new airports while both the actual and estimated amount of passengers turns out to be disproportionately small.

A large part of the construction costs were covered by landing fees and fuel tax subsidies, which in turn were paid by airline companies. The survey concluded that the underachieving airports should look to the more successful ones, and a review of the current estimation methods is encouraged.