The Kansai region of Japan, home to the well-known cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe, is served by three airports. Kobe Airport and Itami (Osaka) Airport offer domestic flights, with Kansai International Airport (KIX) serving as the region's only provider of transnational flights.
At the September 2022 meeting of the three Kansai region airports, it was agreed that Kobe Airport will start providing regular international flights around 2030. (The meeting was chaired by the chairman of the Kansai Economic Federation, MATSUMOTO Masayoshi). They also approved extra international charter flights during the 2025 Osaka International Expo.
Before the coronavirus, many international travellers visited the Kansai region, however there is currently some uncertainty about the future demand for flights. Why does Kobe Airport need international routes? How should logistics be divided between Kansai's three airports? We ask Professor TAKEBAYASHI Mikio (Graduate School of Maritime Sciences) who is an expert in aviation policy.
The Kansai Region needs multiple international airports
It has been reported that local governments in the Senshu area of Osaka (near Kansai International Airport) are strongly opposed to Kobe Airport operating international routes.
Professor Takebayashi: I understand these sentiments. However, for a region like Kansai where there is such high demand for air travel, I think there are issues from a risk management perspective if Kansai International Airport is the only airport offering international routes. It is necessary to consider whether having KIX as the only international airport is good for Kansai and Western Japan's economy.
According to the 'Grand Design of National Spatial Development towards 2050' formulated by the Ministry of Land Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Linear Chuo Shinkansen line will eventually be extended to Osaka. Upon completion, this maglev line will create one big economic zone consisting of three major metropolitan areas; the capital (i.e. the Tokyo metropolitan area), Chubu (e.g. Nagoya) and Kansai (e.g. Osaka). If this zone becomes a reality, it will be necessary to consider whether having Kansai International Airport as the only international airport in the Kansai Region is sufficient from a mid to long-term perspective. I also think that dividing international routes between multiple airports would also be logical from a risk diversification standpoint.
It is hard to predict what the economy and society will be like in the next 10 to 20 years, however we must bear in mind that there will be airports outside the country that can also serve as a gateway to Japan. These include Incheon International Airport in South Korea, Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, and Hong Kong International Airport. Japan should have domestic gateway airports in Japan. There is the Narita and Haneda two airport system in the Greater Tokyo Area. I think having more than 2 international airports is desirable for the Kansai region as well from a risk diversification standpoint.
