There were 2,812 international cargo flights into and out of Narita Airport in April, the highest since it opened in May 1978, surpassing the number of takeoffs and landings of international passenger flights for the first time. It has also become difficult to transport cargo on passenger flights because of flight suspensions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Narita International Airport Corporation, there were 2,082 cargo flights and 15,045 passenger flights on international routes in April of last year. While the number of passenger flights has decreased sharply since February, when countries introduced entry restrictions, the number of cargo flights has been on the rise since January, surpassing the number of passenger flights by 574 times in April. As of May 23, there had been nearly 800 more cargo flights in the month than passenger flights, widening the gap.
In response to the growing demand for medical supplies, including masks, cargo flights have replaced the reduced number of passenger flights.
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