Kansai Airports adds slots, flight routes for Expo; measures taken to reduce additional noise pollution for residents

Kansai municipalities and other stakeholders agreed on Monday to extend takeoff and landing times at Kansai International Airport by introducing new flight routes over Awaji Island.

In preparation for the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, a council of municipalities and business stakeholders has held discussions on three airports in the Kansai region: Kansai International Airport in Osaka Prefecture, Osaka International Airport in Osaka and Hyogo Prefectures, and Kobe Airport in Hyogo Prefecture. These are expected to increase demand for air travel.

The upper limit for take-off and landing slots at Kansai International Airport will be raised from 45 to 60 per hour in March next year. At Kobe Airport, which is for domestic flights only, slots will also be increased from 80 to 120 per day.

Council members approved the introduction of new flight routes at a meeting in Osaka City on Monday. The current flight routes cover the sea, as well as areas of Osaka and Wakayama prefectures and Awaji Island in Hyogo prefecture. In northerly winds, there are currently only two departure routes available, over the northern part of Awaji Island, including the Akashi Strait, but the new plan would open two additional routes over the central and southern parts of the island.

The council has approved the idea of ​​expanding the number of flight hours in September 2022 and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is working on specific flight routes and measures to reduce noise.

Taking into account the views of residents living near the airports and relevant local communities on measures to tackle aircraft noise, operating hours for the new flight routes will be limited to the period from 06:30 to 23:00 and aircraft will fly as high as possible when flying over land.

At a press conference after the meeting, Masayoshi Matsumoto, chairman of the Kansai Economic Federation, said: “[The agreement is] a big step forward for the entire Kansai region. In order to reduce the burden on the living environment of local residents as much as possible, we will also confirm the conditions of the environmental monitoring system and share our understanding of the situation.”