Tokyo stays a perennial vacationer favourite, attracting a report 36.8 million worldwide guests in 2024. So it is sensible that the town has two airports serving each worldwide air visitors and home journey.
Narita International Airport (NRT), inbuilt 1978, used to serve essentially the most long-haul flights of the 2 journey hubs, however that’s not the case. Of the 2, Haneda Airport (HND) is now the busiest when it comes to passengers, dealing with in extra of 78 million passengers yearly, whereas Narita handles over 30 million annually.
Haneda’s worldwide terminal opened in 2010, and by 2023, it was one of many world’s busiest airports. Since 2020, plenty of U.S. airways have added daytime flight service to and from Haneda. Carriers resembling All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines have additionally shifted most of their worldwide flight operations from Narita International to Haneda, the first purpose for the shift being location.
But with loads of flight choices to every, deciding which of the 2 airports it’s best to fly into could be difficult. Thankfully, we have weighed up the options of each in an effort to take advantage of knowledgeable determination earlier than reserving your flight.
Distance to downtown and transportation choices
Tokyo is the world’s most populated metropolis, with over 37 million residents, and it covers roughly 800 sq. miles. Its sheer measurement makes defining a real metropolis heart troublesome. Tokyo has over 20 wards, every comprising a number of totally different districts.
For this put up, we are going to use the long-lasting Shibuya Crossing in downtown Tokyo as our reference level. It’s often known as the busiest road on this planet, the place as many as 2,500 individuals at a time cross a single intersection at sure factors within the day.
People strolling within the Shibuya purchasing district. VISUALSPACE/GETTY IMAGES
Here’s how the 2 airports stack up when it comes to journey time and the price of public transportation or taxi to this central level:
Getting downtownNRTHNDDistance (by automobile)47 miles13 milesTime (by automobile)1 hour and 30 minutes40 minutesAverage taxi cost23,000 to 30,000 Japanese yen (roughly $150 to $200)8,000 to 12,000 Japanese yen (roughly $50 to $78)Public transitNarita Skyliner Express/Yamanote Line (2,630 Japanese yen/roughly $17)Tokyo Monorail/Yamanote Line (690 Japanese yen/roughly $4.45)
While ride-hailing apps like Uber and GO can be found in Tokyo, it is sometimes cheaper to hail a cab.
The map photos under point out simply how a lot farther out of the town the Narita advanced is than Haneda:
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NRT to Shibuya. GOOGLE MAPS
Driving in from NRT will take at the very least 60 minutes, if not longer, relying on visitors as you close to the town. While they don’t seem to be arduous to seek out, remember that cab rides in Japan are fairly costly. A visit from Narita to the town will doubtless value you between $150 and $200 or extra. Public transit is less expensive by comparability, although the journey would require you to attach from the airport specific line to Tokyo’s sprawling metro system to get to your closing vacation spot, which can be intimidating for some.
Haneda is far nearer by comparability. It’s situated on a peninsula simply south of the town heart, about 8.7 miles south of Tokyo Station, the town’s central practice station. Not solely will you achieve some spectacular views when your flight is arriving/departing, however additionally, you will be rewarded with a a lot shorter journey into the town.
Driving to Shibuya Crossing will take between 30 and 45 minutes, relying on visitors, although even a brief journey like this may end in a $100-plus taxi invoice. Public transit will get you there in the identical period of time for lower than $5.
Winner: Saving time if you journey for enterprise or pleasure ought to at all times be your purpose, particularly when visiting a metropolis like Tokyo, the place you will by no means have sufficient time to do and see every thing you need. HND’s proximity to the center of the town is why many vacationers select to fly out and in of that airport when visiting Tokyo.
Which airport is best for enterprise vacationers?
The distance from Tokyo Station to Haneda Airport is simply 11 miles; in the meantime, Narita International is 43 miles away. If you are touring by automobile or bus, this makes a giant distinction in journey time. You may get to your resort or enterprise assembly from HND in lower than 20 minutes if the visitors is mild; on the flip facet, it is roughly an hour-long commute from NRT.
Haneda can be a greater possibility if you are going to Yokohama, the second-largest metropolis in Japan, which is south of Tokyo alongside the coast.
Winner: Because of its proximity to Tokyo’s enterprise districts, Haneda is sort of at all times the higher airport possibility for vacationers with a enterprise assembly or different time-sensitive engagements.
Airlines and flight choices
Japan is the one nation with two Skytrax five-star airways, All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines, occupying spots of their high 10 carriers. Both function long- and short-haul flights out of NRT and HND — however each carriers are shifting extra of their long-haul operations to Haneda. While NRT stays Japan’s largest airport, it providers fewer worldwide flights as of late, pivoting to deal with medium-haul routes from All Nippon, Japan Airlines and different airways as an alternative.
Meanwhile, service from Haneda to the U.S. has vastly expanded since 2019, as its nearer location to Tokyo has made it extra enticing to passengers. In response, the federal government has allotted extra slots for worldwide flights to fulfill demand. In 2023, HND noticed report highs in worldwide guests and flights.
American service United Airlines has vastly elevated its flight routes from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to HND within the final 5 years whereas decreasing the variety of flights it operates out of NRT. Delta Air Lines, in the meantime, closed down its NRT hub and shifted its complete Tokyo flight technique to HND.
As Haneda’s worldwide flight choices have elevated, so has the variety of airways that serve worldwide passengers there. But in lots of instances, even when a given airline would not fly to the airport you need, you will get there on a codeshare or alliance companion. For instance, Oneworld passengers flying between Japan and Sydney have two choices between Japan Airlines and Qantas, each of which provide flights from HND and NRT.
Narita affords flights to 41 nations and 14 U.S. states; by comparability, Haneda, regardless of its pivot towards long-haul choices, has flights to only 27 nations and 15 U.S. states. For vacationers to Tokyo coming from the U.S., although, this distinction might show considerably negligible.
Haneda’s clearest edge, for now, stays home flights inside Japan. As Tokyo’s most important home airport, Haneda affords flights to 50 locations throughout Japan.
Winner: Haneda now has the higher hand for journey to and from the U.S., given the shift in flight choices from carriers like Delta and United within the final 5 years. It additionally maintains an edge for journey inside Japan, as there are numerous extra choices to attach for flights to different elements of the nation. However, Narita International nonetheless retains nice worth for its assorted choices of long-haul routes globally.
Airport facilities and perks
At each airports, you will discover first- and business-class lounges for Japan Airlines and ANA, with minimal variations in design aesthetics and meals and beverage choices. Japan Airlines’ first-class lounge at NRT is very well-known for the made-to-order sushi station it affords, whereas first-class passengers at HND can pattern a made-to-order teppanyaki bar.
Narita International can be residence to an array of lounges and golf equipment operated by worldwide companions, together with United Global First and United Club lounges, plus an American Airlines Admirals Club.
Haneda, in flip, has loads of its personal lounge choices and is residence to a Delta Sky Club (opened in 2022) and the famed Cathay Pacific Lounge, amongst others. Later this yr, Haneda can even achieve an Amex Centurion Lounge.
For passengers who aren’t touring in a premium cabin, Narita may need the higher hand. The airport affords 5 Priority Pass lounges throughout its two terminals, whereas Haneda has none. Narita can be one in all solely 5 worldwide areas to host a United Club lounge.
Both airports function a good quantity of purchasing and eating choices and are typically among the many extra nice locations to spend a protracted layover. Narita has a bit extra of an attraction for aviation geeks, as the scale and number of planes you will see make for some nice natural leisure. Some, like Thai’s Airbus A380, are particularly uncommon finds for U.S.-based vacationers.
Winner: While premium-cabin passengers will not discover a lot distinction between the 2 airports when it comes to lounge entry, these touring in financial system can be happier touring via Narita. Between Priority Pass lounges and a few nice planespotting, it makes for a extra gratifying layover.
Bottom line
Narita and Haneda are each glorious airports. However, the variations between the 2 amenities have gotten extra obvious. Haneda is far nearer in location to downtown Tokyo, and that proximity has made it a favourite for enterprise vacationers. The airport can be more and more used for long-haul flights, particularly to the U.S.
Meanwhile, Narita affords extra flights from extra worldwide carriers and might supply a wider alternative of locations all over the world. It additionally has a wider collection of airport lounges.