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SHIZUOKA, Japan: Japan's 98th airport has opened at a time when the country is trying to climb out of recession. The location of Mt Fuji Shizuoka Airport has also raised questions as to whether operations can be sustained.
The airport has five airlines operating out of it, including the country's two largest – Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways.
Authorities said operations at the Mt Fuji Shizuoka Airport have been smooth since its opening on June 4.
Tetsuro Yoshioka, president of Mt Fuji Shizuoka Airport Co, said: "For a start, the occupancy rate was 80 to 90 per cent. We are very happy with this, but what we need to do is to maintain this.
"June is the worst travel season. There are summer holidays and then it's autumn. The rate should improve further so I think we can hold full expectations."
But in the past months, the unforeseen has also happened.
Yoshinobu Ishikawa, governor of Ishikawa, said: "Since the opening of the airport, especially in the case of China Eastern Airlines, there has been a sudden series of cancellations due to the flu."
Airports around the world make money by charging take off and landing fees, so with more flights, an airport earns more.
To sustain its operations, Mt Fuji Shizuoka Airport will need to see at least 1.38 million passengers pass through its doors every year. Critics have cited the airport's location as a setback.
It is located between two major airports – Haneda in Tokyo, which is the busiest in Japan, and Centrair in Nagoya.
But others said Shizuoka's location is an asset and is a big convenience for people in the region.
"Japan has been a bullet train-focused culture until now. The aviation culture has not been cultivated very much, especially in Shizuoka. Taking the bullet train to Tokyo and Osaka was thought as good enough," said Mr Yoshioka.
One survey has estimated that 90 per cent of Japan's airports are losing money. Coupled with the economic downturn, the outlook does not look too rosy for Shizuoka.
There are currently 98 airports in Japan, deemed as one too many by some analysts.
In 1990, the United States was said to have pressured Japan to construct more airports and today, some are supported by the central government and more than half are maintained by local governments.
Japan's 99th airport is expected to open in Ibaraki next year.
- CNA/so
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