Summary

  • Osaka's construction of Kansai International Airport was necessary due to overcrowding and the inability to expand the original Itami Airport.
  • The new airport was strategically located away from residential areas and had the ability to operate 24 hours a day.
  • Kansai International Airport became a major international hub, surpassing Itami Airport and transforming aviation in Japan.

At the time, the construction of Osaka's new Kansai International Airport (KIX) was the biggest civil project ever undertaken. However, Osaka already had an airport at the time, known as Itami (ITM). So why the new facility was built and what impact did it have? Let's take a look back and see.

The problem with Osaka's original airport

Back in the late 1960s, the Kansai region of Japan found itself losing trade, development, and firms to the more significant and growing Tokyo region. To help make Osaka and Kobe more attractive, they proposed the construction of a new international airport to rival the then-under-development second airport of Toyko. This new facility would later become Narita International Airport (NRT).

Osaka's original Itami Airport was also facing overcrowding as jet-age air travel became more popular. With the development of bigger aircraft like the Boeing 747 and the arrival of short-haul Boeing 737s that made rapid frequencies possible, the city needed to consider the possibility of expanding Itami Airport. Failing this, a new airport would likely be the only solution to meet the growing capacity.

Airplane Departing From Osaka Itami Airport
Photo: suzume777 | Shutterstock

As it happened, the issue with the first idea was that the Itami Airport was situated in the densely populated areas of Itami and Toyonaka. This meant that it was surrounded by buildings, and thus was impossible to expand. This meant, therefore, that the planners needed a new facility somewhere else in the region.

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Planning the new airport

At first, developers and government officials wanted to build a new airport near Kobe. This could serve both cities easily and Kobe did not have an airport of its own. The city of Kobe, however, rejected these plans, and airport planners instead looked to the southern bay of Osaka Prefecture. The advantage was that here, by being away from all residential suburbs and land, the airport would be able to operate 24 hours a day. It also got away from potential protests from residents and landowners (a problem that had been seen in Tokyo).

With this in mind, they planned an artificial island that would be 4 km (2.5 miles) long and 2.5 km (1.6 miles) wide for the new airport. It would require sophisticated engineering to have a solid foundation for the runways and buildings and to withstand the risks of natural phenomena like typhoons, waves, and earthquakes.

These special design features would actually come into play during an earthquake many years later. While the city suffered significant damage, the airport survived unscathed (although the facility has been flooded by a typhoon).

Building the airport

The ground was finally broken in 1987, a good twenty years after the project began. It took over three years to build the island. To connect the island to the mainland, the team constructed a 3 km (1.86-mile) bridge.

Osaka Kansai International Airport Road Bridge
Photo: HelloRF Zcool | Shutterstock

Once they had finished building the island, the airport construction began, which took another four years. It would have two runways, two terminals, a cargo facility, and cost over $20 billion to build. Italian architect Renzo Piano designed the main terminal building. His previous projects including the Pompidou Centre in Paris, and he has since gone on to design Potsdamer Platz in Berlin and the Shard in London.

The years of hard work and extensive investment ultimately paid off, as the airport dramatically changed aviation in Japan.

An airport on the apron at Kansai Airport.
Photo: The Global Guy | Shutterstock

Changing the aviation landscape of Japan

For one, it immediately took over all international arrivals to Osaka, rendering the original Itami Airport a strictly domestic-only facility. At the peak of its performance in 2019, the airport recorded 29.4 million passengers, making it the third busiest in Japan. The airport has also become an international hub for ANA and Japan Airlines.

Related
Osaka Kansai vs Itami – Which Airport Is Better For Passengers?
A look at which of Osaka's airports offers the best passenger experience in terms of location, route network, and amenities.

Like many other major airports, Kansai suffered severely during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the airport saw just below 58,000 aircraft movements - down from a peak of over 196,000 in 2019.

Recovery in Asia lagged other regions, but by July 2023 passenger volume had recovered to 78% of pre-pandemic levels.

The construction of this project would be well studied, and it has ended up serving as the template for other island airports around the world. A notable example is Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), as well as, ironically, Kobe Airport (UKB).

What do you make of Osaka Kansai International Airport? Have you ever flown into or out of this facility? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below.

Sources: Kansai Airports, Kansai Airport data, ACI