By HIROYUKI KAMISAWA/ Staff Writer
April 29, 2023 at 16:45 JST
Departing passengers crowd the international flight lobby at Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture close to Tokyo on April 28. (Kazuhiro Nagashima)
Passengers headed for overseas destinations thronged Narita Airport outside Tokyo on April 29 at the start of the Golden Week national holidays.
Officials said it would likely be the facility’s peak day until the passengers return in early May.
Narita International Airport Corp. said that around 300,000 passengers were booked to depart for trips overseas between April 28 and May 7, marking a seven-fold increase over last year and close to 70 percent of the level recorded in 2018 before the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Many passengers were already using the international airport in Chiba Prefecture close to Tokyo on April 28 for overseas destinations now that entry regulations have been lifted.
May 7 is expected to mark the peak for returning passengers, officials said.
In addition, 245,000 or so passengers were expected to use Narita Airport for domestic flights, about the same level as pre-COVID-19 Golden Week seasons.
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