The transport ministry said Thursday it has completed tests for new flight paths to Haneda Airport, which involved arriving aircraft flying over central Tokyo at a low altitude for the first time.
The tests were conducted over seven days between Feb. 2 and Feb. 12. A total of 520 aircraft arrived using the new routes, the ministry said in a statement.
The government plans to officially launch the new landing routes for about three hours a day — between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. — starting on March 29. The move will accommodate 50 more international routes per day to help Haneda better compete with larger global hubs in Asia like Singapore's Changi Airport.