Kansai International Airport

The Kansai International Airport (関西国際空港, 'Kansai Kokusai Kūkō'^?, IATA code: KIX, ICAO: RJBB) is an international airport located on an artificial island in Osaka Bay, Japan. It was designed by architect Renzo Piano and inaugurated on September 4, 1994.

The airport serves as a hub for Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways and Nippon Cargo Airlines. It is the gateway to the Kansai region, made up of the cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe, among others. Domestic flights are carried out from the former Osaka International Airport in Itami.

In the Kansai dialect of Japanese, the airport is commonly called Kankū (関空).

Clues

• 6R/24L, 3500 m (11 400 feet), paved.
• 6L/24R, 4000 m (13 123 feet), paved.

Statistics

See source and consult Wikidata.

2005

• Number of passengers: 16 428 399.
• Total load: 843 368 t.

The artificial island

Built by humans, it is 4 km long and 1 km wide. Engineers designed it considering the possible earthquakes and typhoons that are frequent in the region. Its construction began in 1987, with the protective wall being completed at the end of 1989. Approximately 21 million cubic meters of concrete blocks were used as fill, excavated from three mountains. The work employed a workforce of approximately 10,000 workers, and 10 million work hours over 3 years, using 80 ships to complete the 30-m-thick layer located on the underwater platform.

In 1990, the 3 km long bridge connecting the artificial island to Osaka Prefecture was completed at a cost of $1 billion.

By that time, the island had sunk 8 m, more than expected, and the project became the most expensive civil engineering job in modern history, after 20 years of planning, 3 years of construction and billions of dollars invested.

The airport was deeply in debt, losing $560 million in interest each year. Airlines were kept away by high landing fees (about $7,500 for a Boeing 747, the second most expensive in the world after Narita. In the airport's early years of operation, excessive terminal rent and transportation bills Public services for on-site concessions also increased operating costs: some pre-opening estimates held that a cup of coffee would have to cost US$10. Osaka business owners pressured the government to take on a greater burden of the construction cost to keep the airport attractive to passengers and airlines.

In 1991, construction of the terminal began and to compensate for the sinking of the island, adjustable columns were designed to support it, and the airport was inaugurated in 1994.

In 1995, Kansai International Airport suffered the Kobe Earthquake, whose epicenter was just 20 km away and claimed the lives of 6,433 people. However, the airport withstood the earthquake without problems, mainly due to the use of sliding joints in its construction. Not even the airport windows were damaged. In 1998, the airport had no problems with a typhoon with winds of up to 200 km/h.

In 2001, the airport was awarded as one of the ten "Civil Engineering Monuments of the Millennium" by the American Society of Civil Engineers (English).

However, after the arrival of Typhoon Jebi (the 21st of the Japanese season), on September 4, 2018, the tropical storm that has been recorded as the most powerful in the last 25 years of Japanese history, left underwater at the renowned airport, beyond the provisions that engineers made to avoid this type of natural disasters.

Terminal

The terminal is a four-story building designed by Renzo Piano. It is the longest terminal in the world, measuring 1.7 km from end to end. A sophisticated pedestrian transportation system moves passengers from one end to the other.

The roof of the terminal was designed in the shape of the profile of an airplane wing, a shape that is used by its ventilation system. The air is blown from one side of the terminal, and the curvature of the roof leads the air to the other side, in the transverse direction, where it is collected.

It currently has a second terminal reserved for low-cost airlines, especially for Peach, which has Kansai airport as the main airport in its operations.

Airlines and destinations

The second floor of the passenger terminal building is used for domestic departures and arrivals. All tickets, boarding, and baggage claim are managed from the second floor. International arrivals go to baggage claim and passport control on the first floor. International departures are managed on the fourth floor and boarding takes place on the third floor.

National destinations

Airlines	Destinations
All Nippon Airways	Fukuoka, Hakodate, Ishigaki, Naha, Sapporo, Tokyo-Haneda Season: Asahikawa, Memanbetsu, Wakkanai
Japan Airlines	Fukuoka, Naha, Sapporo, Tokyo-Haneda
Japan Airlines operated by J-Air	Fukuoka
Japan Airlines operated by Japan Transocean Air	Ishigaki, Naha, Tokyo-Haneda
Jetstar Japan	Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Naha, ⋅ita, Sapporo, Tokyo-Narita
Peach	Fukuoka, Ishigaki, Kagoshima, Matsuyama, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Naha, Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo-Narita

International destinations

Cities	Airport name	Airlines	Aircraft	Weekly frequency
North America
CanadaCanada
Vancouver	Vancouver International Airport	Air Canada
United States
Los Angeles	Los Angeles International Airport	Japan Airlines
San Francisco	San Francisco International Airport	United Airlines
Europe
GermanyGermany
Frankfurt am Main	Frankfurt am Main Airport	Lufthansa
Munich	Munich Airport	Lufthansa
FinlandFinland
Helsinki	Helsinki-Vantaa Airport	Finnair	A3x0
France
Paris	Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport	Air France
NetherlandsNetherlands
Amsterdam	Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport	KLM
TurkeyTurkey
Istanbul	Istanbul Airport	Turkish Airlines
Asia
ChinaChina
Chengdu	Chengdu International Airport	Spring Airlines	A32x
Chongqing	Chongqing International Airport	Spring Airlines	A32x
Dalian	Dalian International Airport	Air China All Nippon Airways China Southern Airlines
Fuzhou	Fuzhou International Airport	Shenzhen Airlines Xiamen Airlines
Canton (Guangzhou)	Canton-Baiyun International Airport	China Southern Airlines
Guilin	Guilin International Airport	China Southern Airlines
Hangzhou	Xiaoshan International Airport	Air China All Nippon Airways Xiamen Airlines
Jinan	Jinan International Airport	Shandong Airlines
Harbin	Harbin International Airport	China Southern Airlines
Nankín	Nanking-Lukou International Airport	China Eastern Airlines
Ningbo	Ningbo International Airport	China Eastern Airlines
Beijing	International Airport of Beijing-Capital	Air China All Nippon Airways China Eastern Airlines Hainan Airlines Shenzhen Airlines
Qingdao	Qingdao International Airport	All Nippon Airways China Eastern Airlines Shandong Airlines
Quanzhou	Quanzhou International Airport	Spring Airlines Tianjin Airlines	A32x
Shanghai	Pudong International Airport	Air China All Nippon Airways China Eastern Airlines Japan Airlines Juneyao Airlines Shanghai Airlines Spring Airlines	A32x
Shenyang	Taoxian International Airport	China Southern Airlines
Shenzhen	Shenzhen International Airport	Shenzhen Airlines
Urumchi	Urumchi International Airport	Shandong Airlines
Wenzhou	Wenzhou International Airport	China Eastern Airlines
Wuhan	Wuhan International Airport	Spring Airlines	A32x
Wuxi	Wuxi International Airport	Shenzhen Airlines
Xi'an	Xi'an International Airport	Spring Airlines Tianjin Airlines	A32x
Xiamen	Xiamen-Gaoqi International Airport	Xiamen Airlines
Yanji	Yanji International Airport	China Eastern Airlines
Yantai	Yantai International Airport	China Eastern Airlines
Zhengzhou	Zhengzhou International Airport	Spring Airlines	A32x
South KoreaSouth Korea
Busan	Gimhae International Airport	Air Busan Jeju Air Korean Air Peach	A32x B737-800 A32x
City of Jeju	Jeju International Airport	Korean Air
Daegu	Daegu International Airport	T'way Airlines	B737-800
Seoul	Gimpo International Airport	Asiana Airlines Japan Airlines Jeju Air Korean Air	B737-800
	Incheon International Airport	Asiana Airlines Eastar Jet Jeju Air Jin Air Korean Air Peach T'way Airlines	B737 B737-800 B7x7 A32x B737-800
United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates
Dubai	Dubai International Airport	Emirates
PhilippinesPhilippines
Cebu	Mactan-Cebú International Airport	Philippine Airlines
Manila	Ninoy Aquino International Airport	Cebu Pacific Air Jetstar Asia Airways Philippine Airlines	A320-232
Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong	Hong Kong International Airport	Air India All Nippon Airways Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Express Airways Jetstar Japan Peach	A32x A32x A32x
India
New Delhi	Indira Gandhi International Airport	Air India
IndonesiaIndonesia
Denpasar	International Airport Ngurah Rai	Garuda Indonesia
Jakarta	Soekarno-Hatta International Airport	Garuda Indonesia
MacaoMacao
Macao	Macao International Airport	Air Macau	A32x
MalaysiaMalaysia
Kuala Lumpur	Kuala Lumpur International Airport	AirAsia X Malaysia Airlines	A3xx
NepalNepal
Kathmandu	Kathmandu International Airport	Nepal Airlines	A3xceo
Qatar
Doha	Hamad International Airport	Qatar Airways
SingaporeSingapore
Singapore	Singapore International Airport	Jetstar Asia Airways Scoot Singapore Airlines	A320-232
Thailand
Bangkok	Don Mueang International Airport	Scoot Thai AirAsia X	A33x
	Suvarnabhumi International Airport	Japan Airlines Thai Airways
Taiwan
Kaohsiung	Kaohsiung International Airport	China Airlines EVA Air Peach Scoot Tigerair Taiwan
Tainan	Tainan International Airport	China Airlines
Taipei	Taipei International Airport	Cathay Pacific China Airlines EVA Air Japan Airlines Jetstar Asia Airways Peach	A320-232 A32x
VietnamVietnam
Ho Chi Minh	Tan Son Nhat International Airport	Vietnam Airlines
Hanoi	International Airport of N・i Bài	Vietnam Airlines
Oceania
Australia
Cairns	Cairns Airport	Jetstar Airways	B787-8
Melbourne	Tullamarine International Airport	Jetstar Airways	B787-8
Sydney	Kingsford Smith International Airport	Jetstar Airways	B787-8
United States of America
Honolulu	Honolulu International Airport	AirAsia X Delta Airlines Hawaiian Airlines Japan Airlines	A3xx
GuamGuam
Guam	Guam International Airport	Delta Airlines Korean Air United Airlines
Northern Mariana IslandsNorthern Mariana Islands
Saipán	International Airport of Saipán	Asiana Airlines (State)
New CaledoniaNew Caledonia
Numea	International Airport La Tontouta	Aircalin	A3xx

Load

Airlines	Destinations
Air China Cargo	Beijing-Capital, Shanghai-Pudong
Air Hong Kong	Hong Kong
Aircompany Yakutia	Shanghai-Pudong
ANA & JP Express	Seoul-Incheon
ANA Cargo	Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Dalian, Okinawa, Qingdao, Saga, Shanghai-Pudong, Tokyo-Haneda, Tokyo-Narita, Xiamen
Asiana Cargo	Seoul-Incheon
Cathay Pacific Cargo	Hong Kong
China Airlines Cargo	Taipéi-Taoyuan, Anchorage, Los Angeles
China Cargo Airlines	Shanghai-Pudong, Xiamen
China Postal Airlines	Shanghai-Pudong
China Surern Cargo	Shanghai-Pudong
Cathay Pacific Cargo	Hong Kong
Emirates SkyCargo	Dubai, Seoul-Incheon,Zaragoza
EVA Air Cargo	Taipei-Taoyuan
FedEx Express	Anchorage, Beijing-Capital, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Memphis, Oakland, Singapore, Shanghai-Pudong, Taipei-Taoyuan, Tokyo-Narita
Hong Kong Airlines Cargo	Hong Kong
Korean Air Cargo	Seoul-Incheon
Lufthansa Cargo	Frankfurt, Krasnoyarsk
Nippon Cargo Airlines	Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Beijing-Capital, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Seoul-Incheon, Shanghai-Pudong, Singapore, Tokyo-Narita
Polar Air Cargo	Chicago-O'Hare, Shanghai-Pudong
Singapore Airlines Cargo	Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Singapore
UPS Airlines	Anchorage, Shanghai-Pudong, Shenzhen

Transportation at the airport

Japan Railways

• Tennouji-Osaka: 30 minutes, 1770 yen
• Kyoto: 75 minutes, 1770 yen

Nankai

• Namba-Osaka: 30 minutes, 1390 yen

Limousine Bus

• Umeda-Osaka: 55 minutes, 1300 yen
• Kyoto: 100 minutes, 2300 yen
• Kōbe: 65 minutes, 1800 yen
• Nara: 85 minutes, 1800 yen
• Itami-Osaka International Airport: 75 minutes, 1700 yen