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Will Haneda-Kimpo shuttle idea fly?
March 24, 1999
By Edward Neilan
Special to World Tribune.com
TOKYO—Has the time finally come for takeoff of the “Haneda
(Japan)-to-Kimpo (Korea)” air shuttle?
Last week’s summit meeting between South Korean President Kim Dae-jung
and Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi in Seoul produced plenty of
handshakes and nods of agreement.
A generally unified stance on what to do about mischievous and confused
North Korea was agreed to and there was acceptance of the general thrust of
United States policy toward Pyongyang.
Missing from the summit, however, was a single action or even a fresh
slogan of cooperation that might kick-start the uncertain economies in both
countries.
The Haneda to Kimpo air shuttle idea, which has been around a long time
in Asia though virtually unknown outside the aviation industry in the West,
is coming in for renewed discussion in the contest of convenience for
travelers and stimulation of business. Two-way trade between Japan and South
Korea was down last year. Korea sold US$11.87 billion worth of goods to
Japan in 1998, a 20 percent drop from the previous year. Japan exported
US$16.28 billion to Korea, a whopping 41 percent decline.
Presently, international flights to and from Japan must use Narita
Airport, more than one-hour’s highway or train trip from downtown Tokyo. Add
to that the flight time of about two hours in the air to Seoul and the
chances of a one-day business trip become nil.
Haneda is nearer to downtown Tokyo and would have the advantage of
allowing a traveler to fly the 750 miles to Seoul for a business lunch with
a couple of hours to spare, and return to Tokyo. A shuttle feature could be
instant check-in, purchase of tickets on board the aircraft and other
marketing devices.
The main obstacle to realization of the “Haneda-Kimpo Shuttle” is the
lack of
imagination on the part of politicians and bureaucrats on both sides.
Officially, since the opening of Narita 21 years ago, Haneda ceased
being an
international” airport except for charter flights and schedule flights to
and from Taiwan, a
political convenience.
Recent upgrades in facilities at Haneda have stimulated interest in the
“Haneda-Kimpo
Shuttle.” Security arguments mostly have been dismissed.
Such a route showcase improved ties between Korea and Japan. The latter
colonized
the Korean Peninsula harshly in 1910-45 and there are still 600,000 Korean
residents of
Japan.
Flights between Osaka and Fukuoka in Japan and Pusan and Seoul in Korea
achieve
the same effect as the proposed “Haneda-Kimpo Shuttle” but on much smaller
scale.
A majority of the candidates in the April 11 election for Tokyo
Metropolitan
Governor have said opening Haneda to international flights is a good
idea--probably
because their constituents want it. It is an example, in microcosm, of the
kind of
confidence-building project that is needed all over Asia.
Hideo Sawada, chairman of Skymark Airways, the first Japanese airline
to start from
scratch in 35 years, told me the “Haneda-Kimpo Shuttle” is a wonderful idea.
It’s
worth plunging into the Japanese bureaucracy to get approval.”
Sawada battled the regulators to get his cut-rate airline onto the
Tokyo-Osaka and
Tokyo-Sapporo route, where load factors and traffic intensity make
Washington D.C.-
New York, New York-Boston and San Francisco-Los Angeles traffic look like
statistics from a kiddieland theme park.
Japan Air Lines, All Nippon Airways, Korean Air and Asiana are all said
to have
begun studies on prospects of realization of the shuttle concept.
The Seoul-Tokyo route with shaved travel time would instantly become
one of the
world’s most heavily traveled international sectors, with occupancy figures
that would
soon knock London- Paris out the box. There would also be an increase in the
speed
of delivery for small parcels, documents and other air cargo.
The symbolism of Korea and Japan cooperating would be enormous,
particularly
On the eve of the 2002 World Cup soccer series which they will jointly host.
Edward Neilan (eneilan@crisscross.com) is a veteran journalist, based in Tokyo, who covers East Asia and writes weekly for World Tribune.com.
March 24, 1999
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