|
October
2006
U.S. Agrees To Return Part Of
Airspace Near Haneda Airport To Japan
The United States agreed Friday to return to Japan part of the airspace to
the west of Tokyo's Haneda airport that has been under the control of the
U.S. Air Force's Yokota base, enabling commercial aircraft to operate more
efficiently, Japanese government officials said. The airspace to be
returned will include 40 percent of the southern part of the so-called
Yokota radar approach control (RAPCON) area, they said. The airline
industry has called on Japanese authorities to let it use the space for
more efficient flight operations. The agreement, reached at the civil
aviation subcommittee of the Japan-U.S. Joint Committee, could enable
west-bound departures from Haneda airport to climb more moderately,
shorten flight times and save fuel. The total volume of airspace to be
returned to Japan will be 20 percent of the Yokota RAPCON, they said. The
two countries also agreed to station Japanese air-traffic controllers from
the Self-Defense Forces at Yokota base, the officials said. It would also
allow Japan's civil aviation authorities to establish double-track
departure flight routes and increase the number of flights from Haneda
airport by 130 departures a day, the officials said. Currently, Haneda
airport handles about 800 departures and arrivals a day. The Yokota RAPCON
covers a vast area ranging in altitude from 3,650 meters to 7,000 meters
over Tokyo and eight nearby prefectures -- Kanagawa, Saitama, Yamanashi,
Shizuoka, Nagano, Gunma, Tochigi and Niigata. After the airspace is given
back to Japan, the low minimum altitude will go down to 2,450 meters.
Civilian aircraft which depart from Haneda airport have been required to
climb steeply over Tokyo Bay or to go around to the south, in order to fly
over or go around the Yokota airspace. The Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure and Transport estimates the agreement will give a 12.8
billion yen boost to the Japanese economy as, for example, it will help
increase 1.4-fold the number of departures, save 4.8 billion yen in fuel
and cut 86,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year, respectively. Under an
accord on the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, concluded in May, the
United States had agreed to return part of the Yokota airspace to Japanese
control by September 2008, when Haneda airport is expected to be expanded.
The two countries had discussed specifics at the Japan-U.S. Joint
Committee which is led by the head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's
North American Affairs Bureau and by the commander of U.S. Forces Japan.
(Nihon Keizai Shimbun, October 28, 2006)
Honda Starts Taking Orders
For Small Business Jet In U.S.
Honda Motor Co. announced Wednesday that its U.S. subsidiary has begun
accepting orders for the HondaJet, a small business jet being
independently developed by the group. Honda Aircraft Co., a wholly owned
unit established in August, plans to set up 14 local sales offices in
cooperation with Piper Aircraft Inc. of the U.S. It hopes to obtain
certification for commercial production from the U.S. Federal Aviation
Administration in three to four years. The seven-seat aircraft will be
priced at 3.65 million dollars, or about 430 million yen. Mass production
is scheduled to start in 2010 in the U.S., with annual output targeted at
70 units. Honda claims its jet is 30-35% more fuel efficient than similar
planes because the engines, developed in cooperation with General Electric
Co., are mounted over the wings to reduce drag. (The Nihon Keizai Shimbun,
October 18, 2006)
|
