"The needs of not only LCCs but also passengers are becoming more diversified with each passing year," Miyamoto said. "Narita International Airport is responding to those needs by reshaping itself under the concept of a 'multifunction airport.' "

At the same time, full-service airlines are also steadily increasing the number of their routes to and from Narita. Japan Airlines launched a route between Narita and Boston last April, and will start service to San Diego in December and to Helsinki next March. All Nippon Airways opened a route to Seattle in July, and will follow up with flights to Yangon and New Delhi in October and to San Jose next January. United Airlines is also jumping on the bandwagon by commencing service between Narita and Denver next March. It is worth noting that many of these new routes will be flown on Boeing's state-of-the-art passenger jet, the 787 Dreamliner.

"Although the current trend is toward downsizing aircraft, jumbo jet-related needs are also on the rise. We are now expanding and improving Narita's facilities so that we can flexibly cater to a wide array of demand," Miyamoto said.

One such jumbo jet is the Airbus A380, the first passenger jet to feature full-length double decks. The standard model, the A380-800, carries 525 passengers under a normal three-class configuration (with a maximum capacity of 853 passengers), making it the world's largest airliner. Not surprisingly, the enormous capacity comes with a lengthy fuselage, wide wingspan and heavy airframe. To accommodate such a leviathan, airports need to be equipped with jetways that can dock with the upper passenger deck, special refueling equipment and ground power units (used to provide electricity and air conditioning to aircraft on the ground), and larger departure lounges, among other facilities. Narita, which can already handle the A380, continues to rigorously work on meeting these requirements based on discussions with Airbus and airlines that use the A380.

Because of Narita's proactive response, many operators have initiated or will initiate A380 flights to and from Narita. The first to do so was Singapore Airlines, followed by Lufthansa, Air France and Emirates. Upcoming deployments include Korean Air in October, Malaysia Airlines in November and Thai International Airways next January. As a result, Narita will number among the world's airports with frequent A380 traffic.

An aerial view of the airport.