INTERVIEW: Sendai Airport Chief Confident 10 Years after Privatization

Natori, Miyagi Pref., June 29 (Jiji Press)--The chief of the operator of Sendai International Airport in Miyagi Prefecture, which was privatized a decade ago, has expressed confidence in making economic contributions to the Tohoku northeastern Japan region, including Miyagi.

"I think we have come closer to the philosophy of the privatization, which is to bring economic benefits to Tohoku," Sendai International Airport Co. President Motoi Maeda said in an interview.

The interview took place ahead of the 10th anniversary Wednesday of the privatization of the airport in the Miyagi city of Natori, which neighbors the prefectural capital of Sendai. Sendai International Airport was the first to have been privatized among airports managed by the Japanese government.

It is owned mainly by the Tokyu Corp. group, which runs a wide range of business such as passenger transport services and urban development. In fiscal 2025, the number of users of the airport reached a record high of about four million.

The privatization was also aimed at supporting the reconstruction of Tohoku, which was heavily affected by the March 2011 powerful earthquake and tsunami.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]