Airport functions and Regional development

Abstract

In Japan today, Air transportation network is concentrated to the capital, Tokyo, in the manner of so called beam lines. This pattern is just the same about international air services. Japan is a small area, but the distance of Japan extends over 3, 000 km from north to south, but the same distance, in Europe, between Stockholm and Sicily Island. Japanese economic activity will maintain par capita income level about 10, 000 U. S. dallers, and par km² income 2, 800, 000 U. S. dallers in 1982. Then, transportation network must change from centralization to discentralization. This change of pattern has two main effects. One is equalization in regional land planning and economic activity. The other is efficiency and time saving about international transportation network. We must take into our consideration that important problems of transportation network are not its coverage but gross time and distance.
By the way, long distance international air network is always extended between capitales, sometimes including most big points. So, now, we call “Capital airport” as capital or central air port function. On the other hand, we will make the concept of “gateway airport”. This “gateway airport” is to support the capital airport to make its substitution. This function is to reduce on burdens on Tokyo and Osaka in Japanese case. Also, “gateway airport” has great economic and cultural impacts on regions that are in direct contact with oversea points. Finally, “gateway airport” is efficient in regional development policy.