Ahead of the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, flight slots will be increased at two airports serving the city – Kansai International Airport and Kobe Airport.
Ahead of the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, flight slots will be increased at two airports serving the city – Kansai International Airport and Kobe Airport.
The group – which includes airport operator Kansai Airports - confirmed the plan to increase flight slots at the two of the region's airports starting in the spring of 2025. At Kansai International Airport, the number of landing and takeoff slots will be increased from 45 to 60 per hour – an increase of around 30%. Flight slots will be increased from 80 to 120 per day (+50%) at Kobe Airport in Hyogo Prefecture.
Members of the group include airport operator Kansai Airports, the governments of the prefectures of the Kansai region – Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto, and Wakayama, and the Kansai Economic Federation (Kankeiren).
According to a report from The Japan Times, participants of the meeting held in Osaka on Monday (July 15) also discussed a plan by Japan's transport ministry for new flight routes. The increase in flight slots was agreed on the condition that “maximum consideration will be given to the opinions of residents around the airports and relevant local communities on measures for addressing aircraft noise and other issues.”
"(The hike in slots) is extremely important for the growth of Osaka and Kansai," Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura was quoted telling reporters following the meeting.
"It is important for the airports and local communities to prosper together," Kankeiren chief Masayoshi Matsumoto, who heads the council, said during a news conference.
Located on artificial islands in Osaka Bay, Kansai International Airport serves as the primary international gateway to Osaka and the region. In 2023, Kansai Airport served around 25.9 million passengers (6.827 domestic and 19 million international).
Opened in 2006, Kobe Airport – also located on artificial islands off the coast of the city of Kobe in Osaka Bay – primarily serves domestic flights.
The upcoming 2025 World Expo in Osaka is scheduled to take place between April and October of next year.
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