Universal: Begin Planning for Summer 2020 Olympics Ops

While the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games and Paralympics are a year away, the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) has already released guidelines for non-scheduled flights and is beginning to accept slot applications, said Universal Weather & Aviation (Booth C10630). Universal further advised affected operators to begin planning now for the events with the limited issuance of “tentative” slots beginning and future reservation requests upcoming in the next several months.

“We highly encourage you to make arrangements…as soon as your schedule is known so that you can secure your best options,” the company said, adding that based on inquiries Universal Aviation Japan has already seen, “early indicators show it will be another high-demand event.”

Designated Airports

The JCAB is designating a “Special Coordination Office” to manage slot coordination at the airports handling general aviation traffic during the 2020 Summer Games scheduled July 24 to August 9, 2020, and the August 25 to September 6, 2020, Paralympics.

Six airports will handle the slots—three Tokyo Metro airports (Narita International, Haneda International, and Ibaraki) and three specially designated airports (New Chitose, Sendai, and Chubu Centrair International). The guidance specifies slot coordination periods and classification of who will be permitted at which airports during certain time frames.

The Japanese government is designating these airports for arrivals of official Summer Games stakeholders, including guests of states, Olympic Committee members, and athletes, among others. As a result, accommodations will be available for special security services, welcome reception desks, and fast lanes, Universal said.

Given the space limitations of the three Tokyo Metro airports, JCAB is limiting aircraft parking time to a maximum of three hours on the ground. If more time is necessary, the aircraft will be repositioned to another airport, Universal advised.

Narita and Haneda will be official ports of entry for the Summer Games, while Ibaraki will be the official port of entry for Paralympic Games. As for the other specially designated airports, New Chitose and Sendai will be official ports of entry for the Summer Games and Chubu Centrair for the Paralympics.

JCAB is further classifying periods according to demand, as well as flights according to who is on board (there are three VIP categories and a category for everyone else). This will dictate when slots can be requested for which airport and by whom.

July 17-September 13 is considered a “Demand Concentrated Period,” and there are additional limitations for the “Opening Ceremony Periods” (July 21 – 25 and August 8 – 10) and Closing Ceremony Periods (August 22 – 26 and September 5 – 7).

As far as classification of flights, it includes: “V1,” which applies to head of states, heads of governments, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) president; “V2,” for other IOC officials, chairmen and CEOs of program partners, and national team leaders; “V3,” for athletes, media, and other dignitaries; and then all other nonscheduled flights.

A “Pre-Special Coordination” period for slot requests ran in August and September but was restricted by flight classification, type, airport, and period. A similar “Special Coordination” period will run December 1-February 10, opening Tokyo Metro designated airports to the “V” classified flights during certain periods. Slots requests will be accepted from all non-scheduled operations at the other three designated airports.

After February 10, slot requests can be made to any of the designated airports that have availability.