With legislation for privatizing Narita airport set to win Diet approval Friday, the head of the operating authority pledged to do his utmost to make Japan's main gateway more profitable so it can go public in a few years after becoming a wholly state-owned joint stock corporation.
As soon as the privatized airport achieves steady profits, Masahiko Kurono, president of New Tokyo International Airport Authority, said he is ready to lower landing fees, which are much higher than other Asian airports -- to meet the demands of international carriers.
Effective April 1, the airport authority will be disbanded and replaced by a new body, tentatively named Narita International Airport Corp. The privatization comes 25 years after the airport's 1978 opening.