New Chitose Airport has been improved from various points of view with the goal of becoming a hub of Japan's northern air network through which people and goods travel frequently. The International Air Cargo Base Project is one of the main projects in line with this goal. A plan to improve the area adjacent to the airport has also been promoted. The Central Hokkaido (Doh-oh) Technopolis Project and other developments intended to complement air transportation will greatly increase business opportunities.

Hokkaido is situated on the Pacific and the northern European routes, closer to North America and Europe than any other prefecture in Japan. To make New Chitose Airport a future transit center linking the world, the nation's first 24-hour service has been offered since 1994.

New Chitose Airport provides direct links to 42 major domestic cities, including Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. Passengers on domestic flights to and from Chitose numbered 18.02 million in 2003, and approximately 9.83 million passengers traveled between Haneda in Tokyo and New Chitose Airport, making it the world's busiest route. Furthermore, international passenger routes, including regular flights to Seoul, Guam, Taipei, Shenyang, etc., and many charter flights, are in operation, acting to make the airport the Hokkaido gateway to the world. The number of passengers on international flights in 2003 exceeded 430,000.