[JP] Airport & Maglev?

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An airport in Yamanashi Prefecture?　The key is the "Linear Central Shinkansen" under construction


On July 24, Yamanashi Prefecture began accepting applications for a trustee to conduct a feasibility study for the establishment of an airport in the prefecture.

Currently, Yamanashi Prefecture does not have an airport that can accommodate jet aircraft takeoffs and landings. The plan to establish an airport in 2022 has been considered and abandoned many times in the past, but it has been resurrected. The key to this plan was the construction of the Linear Central Shinkansen Line.

The Linear Chuo Shinkansen, which runs at 500 km/h and connects Tokyo (Shinagawa) to Nagoya in about 40 minutes at the fastest, will shorten the travel time to and from Tokyo or Nagoya not only between Tomei but also in Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Nagano, and Gifu prefectures where intermediate stations will be installed. Yamanashi Prefecture's plan to establish an airport is based on the premise of connecting to the Linear Shinkansen. By locating the airport near the Yamanashi Linear Station, the prefecture aims to attract passengers not only from within the prefecture, but also from destinations in the city center.

The size of the airport will be discussed in a future study, but at a press conference in 2022, Governor Kotaro Nagasaki of Yamanashi Prefecture said that he envisions a private jet or a small 48-seat jet. Equivalent size aircraft exist, such as the ATR42 propeller-driven aircraft and the ERJ 145, which has not yet been introduced by a domestic operator. Assuming these as the hypothetical operational aircraft, the runway length is considered to be approximately 1,000 to 1,500 meters.

The location of the site will be discussed in the future, but if it is located on the plateau in the southern part of the station or along the Kamanashi River in the western part, it would take about 10 minutes by car from the airport to the Yamanashi Linear Station. If transfer time is not included, access to central Tokyo would be just over 30 minutes, making it as accessible as or more accessible than Narita Airport. Another candidate is the runway of the Japan Aviation Academy located in Kai City (Futaba Gliding Field), according to a statement made at the press conference. Even from this location, the station would be approximately 20 minutes away.

Haneda Airport, which the prefecture cites as a possible complementary partner, is designated as a "congested airport" under the Civil Aeronautics Law and other regulations, and the arrival and departure of small aircraft is restricted. The idea is to accommodate regional flights and business jets that cannot use Haneda Airport, and to have the Linear Chuo Shinkansen line serve as an access line to Haneda Airport, similar to the Tokyo Monorail and Keikyu Line.

The plan to establish an airport is still in the preliminary stage of investigation, and it is uncertain whether it will be realized. However, the construction of the Linear Chuo Shinkansen is expected to bring about significant changes along the line.
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Source: Translated info from Japan, Friday, July 28, 2023, https://www.tetsudo.com/column/590/ Accessed 2023-07-28 by Yuki Nishinaka