News
Osaka Kansai Airport severely damaged in typhoon
September 7th 2018
Osaka Kansai International Airport (KIX) was severely damaged this week as Typhoon 21 – otherwise known as “Jebi” – swept across the airfield. Read More » The airport’s main runway remains submerged; access to the second runway is cut off. Repairing the damage will take time and money and at this stage both are unknowns.
KIX is a major gateway to Japan. The impact of "Jebi" could knock Japan's inbound tourism target of 40 million visitors by 2020 when Tokyo's Olympic and Paralympic Games take place.
As of Thursday, approximately 3,000 passengers, including many foreign nationals remain marooned at KIX. The airport's infrastructure has been damaged beyond belief. The air-conditioning system stopped working and there are no lights and no Wi-Fi in most areas. Fortunately, convenience stores are holding out.
Several airlines have aircraft that were damaged by seawater and cannot fly out.
The typhoon blew an 89-meter-long ocean going fuel tanker, which was empty, into the bridge connecting the airport with the mainland. It damaged the bridge, uprooted roads and pedestrian paths and cut off rail and road access between the airport and the city.
Airlines are ferrying crews to the airport from Kobe and also transporting staff via Nagoya. LCC Peach said it will re-start flights from KIX today because Terminal 2 has not suffered much damage from the typhoon. Access to the airport is only available by bus or ferry, it said.
KIX opened in September 1994. The airport handles approximately 190-200 flights a day and processes 30 million passengers a year. Approximately 50 carriers serve KIX, which links Osaka with 80 cities in 23 countries. KIX airport for Japanese LCCs and opened a dedicated terminal for budget airlines in 2012.
At this time, a firm date for re-opening the airport has not been decided. The government has sent a team of Japan Transport Safety Board investigators to KIX to assess the situation.
