Tokyo's Haneda airport saw a record 80.1 million passengers last year, aided by a rise in the number of foreign tourists and launches of new routes connecting Japan and U.S. cities, the airport operator said Friday.
The number of passengers using the airport climbed 6.4 percent from the previous year, exceeding 80 million for the first time, officials at Japan Airport Terminal Co. said.
Haneda airport is expected to rise one notch to fourth in passenger traffic among world airports in the 2016 rankings compiled by Airports Council International, overtaking Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
In the 2015 ranking, Atlanta airport came first, followed by Beijing airport and Dubai airport. Haneda was ranked fifth.
According to the operator, international passengers at Haneda jumped 19.1 percent from 2015 to almost 15.2 million.
Domestic passengers increased 3.8 percent to just under 65 million.
One of the key factors behind the increase in the number of passengers was October's launch of new routes connecting Tokyo and New York, departing during the day. Such flights had previously been limited to early mornings or midnight.