An employee writes “Thank you” in Japanese with water on the tarmac of Kansai Airport in Izumi-Sano, Osaka Prefecture, on September 4, the airport’s 30th anniversary.
6:00 JST, September 30, 2024
IZUMI-SANO, Osaka — Kansai Airport recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. Supported by a growing number of foreign tourists visiting Japan, the airport has become increasingly important as a gateway to the Kansai region.
Kansai Airport opened in 1994 in the southern part of Osaka Prefecture and is known as one of the first offshore airports. Although it was Japan’s first airport to operate 24 hours a day, the airport was initially unable to increase the number of flights and was left with enormous debts, leading to the airport being derided as a “negative legacy.”
The turning point for the airport came in 2016, when the government sold the airport’s operating rights to a private entity, while retaining ownership of it.
Now Kansai operates Airports Group, founded by a consortium consisting of Orix Corp. and other companies, the airport. While the number of passengers using Kansai Airport declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, the number recovered to 25.89 million people in fiscal 2023, nearly 90% of pre-pandemic levels.
Major renovation work is currently underway at the airport’s Terminal 1 building in the lead-up to the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo. This means that the airport is expected to be able to accept 40 million international air passengers annually in the future.
Message of thanks
On September 4, the day of the anniversary, a ceremony was held at Kansai Airport to commemorate the 30th anniversary of flights between the airport and Los Angeles, launched by Japan Airlines on the same day as the airport’s opening.
“We will continue to provide travelers’ favorite flights as a bridge between Japan and the United States,” Kumiko Miyasaka, JAL’s senior vice president for Western Japan, said at the ceremony.
Special 30th anniversary goods such as cushions and carrier bags were presented to passengers at an event held as part of the commemorations.
Domestic airline staff hold large banners and wave to passengers at Kansai Airport.
Employees of five domestic airlines jointly hung large banners on the tarmac near the terminal building to express their gratitude and deter passengers from departing planes. One employee wrote “Thank you” in Japanese on the floor with water.
At the terminal building, Sorayan, the official mascot character of Kansai Airports Group, appeared with two balloons – a ‘3’ and a ‘0’.
Kansai Airports Group’s official mascot character, “Sorayan”, will appear in the Kansai Airport terminal building on the occasion of its 30th anniversary.
A 23-year-old female university student who left the airport for Spain on the same day said: “I’ve been using the airport since I was a little kid. I will continue to use it in the future.”
Flexibility management appears to be the key
Kansai Airport was under pressure due to the impact of the pandemic. However, it quickly recovered thanks to a flexible management style unique to private entities.
Duty-free shops at Kansai Airport offer cosmetics, perfumes, liquors and other products, consisting of more than 300 brands.
A duty-free area opened in the Terminal 1 building late last year is busy every day with foreign tourists waving their shopping bags.
The airport’s departure hall was renovated last winter. Along the area’s curved concourse, duty-free shops offering a wide variety of products attract attention. This is called a duty-free shop and is designed so that passengers can see all the shops as they walk to their gate. The duty-free area covers approximately 2,500 square meters and is one of the largest sales floors in the country.
Confectionery ordering devices will be installed at Kansai Airport on August 9. They are popular among foreign tourists.
Self-ordering devices for confectionery are especially popular. A customer orders the candy of his choice on the device and an employee hands over all ordered products at a counter.
The duty-free area was developed by private operator Kansai Airports Group. “When it comes to operating large infrastructure facilities, private companies can address various issues in a more detailed manner,” said Yoshiyuki Yamaya, president of Kansai Airports.
