REVITALIZATION OF REGIONAL AIRPORTS ON AIRLINE DEREGULATION IN JAPAN

In Japan, supply-demand adjustment on aviation regulation was abolished under the revised Aviation Law enforced in February 2000. This deregulation provided airline companies with freedom of entry into and withdrawal from every routes and setting airfares. Competition by deregulation brought more benefits for passengers of major routes as well as more service such as discounting airfares and increasing number of flights. On the other hand, it caused passengers of minor routes in conveniences by widening the gaps in airfares and services provided. The aim of the study is to determine how domestic aviation network is affected by the airline deregulation. The study focuses and analyzes load factor as an index covering 37 routes connecting to Haneda Airport. Several possibilities on revitalizing regional airports are also put forward.