Local News

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, (MLIT) is planning a reorganisation of controlled airspace in Japan – with proposed changes scheduled for 2016. An increase in low cost carrier (LCC) airlines in Japan, along with increased aviation demands from Asia’s economic growth have caused problems in the air recently, such as traffic jams. Flight paths have been overlapping, causing detours in the air and delays. Japan’s airspace is currently dimensionally divided into five sections, each managed by separate air traffic control centers. MLIT hopes to finalize the airspace reorganization by summer – planning to change and combine certain sections (including the Fukuoka airspace) to alleviate traffic jams. The MLIT is also going to invest in a “General Control Information” system to decrease the workload of air traffic controllers. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun, April 16