The government should inject more public money into airport construction in urban areas, particularly into expansion of Tokyo's Haneda airport and Kansai International Airport near Osaka, an association of 12 domestic airlines said Monday.
In its annual petition paper to the transport ministry, the Scheduled Airlines Association of Japan said the government should invest more in major urban airports, which generate more economic benefits than rural airports.
The Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry is currently compiling budget requests for fiscal 2002, which starts in April.
Most spending on airport construction is covered with funds from the government's Fiscal and Investment Loan Program and other loans, which are eventually shouldered by airlines and passengers.
The association pointed out that only 76.5 billion yen of tax revenues is being spent for airport construction this year, while 197.4 billion yen is allocated for local fishery ports and 346.3 billion yen for other major ports.