Domestic Flight Services at Kansai Airport to Resume Friday

September 6, 2018

Izumisano, Osaka Pref.- Kansai International Airport, which has been closed due to damage from a powerful typhoon that struck Japan earlier this week, will be reopened to domestic flight services as early as Friday, its operator said Thursday.

However, there is no prospect yet for the restart of international flights using the airport located on an artificial island off the western Japan prefecture.

The operator will continue efforts for an early restoration of full services at the 24-hour airport, the main gateway to western Japan.

Of the two runways at the airport, Runway A was flooded to a depth of up to about 50 centimeters due to high tides caused by Typhoon Jebi. Facilities at the airport was also damaged, with a terminal building hit by a power outage. Part of the access bridge to the airport became impassable as a tanker crashed into the structure because of strong winds from the typhoon.

Meanwhile, the airport operator found no major damage to Runway B or the Terminal 2 building, which is used mainly by low-cost carriers.

With aircraft expected to be procured, the operator now believes that it can restart domestic flight services if passenger transportation to and from the airport is secured.

Domestic flights are expected to be resumed mainly by low-cost carriers using Terminal 2, such as Peach Aviation.

As the railway line using the access bridge is likely to be closed for the time being, the operator is considering the use of unharmed roads on the bridge to transfer passengers to and from the airport.

At a press conference held in the Osaka city of Izumisano on Thursday, Yoshiyuki Yamaya, president of the operator, apologized to some 8,000 people, including passengers, who were stranded at the airport following the typhoon.

He said the operator was unable to make announcements on typhoon-related information, including damage at the airport, because power equipment failed due to seawater entering the terminal buildings. Jiji Press