Kansai International Airport (KIX) is the primary international airport serving the city of Osaka in Japan. The airport opened on September 4th, 1994 to relieve increasing congestion at the existing Osaka Itami Airport (ITM). Although Kansai is located approximately 37 kilometers (22 miles) farther from the city, it handles a majority of the city's international traffic, while Itami now serves as the region's primary domestic airport. However, geological factors are increasingly putting Kansai Airport at risk of sinking, an unusual scenario related to how the airport was built.

Why KIX was Built

Discussions regarding the construction of a second airport in Osaka began in the 1960s. At the time, operations at Itami Airport were severely limited due to its proximity to the city. Noise from arriving and departing aircraft could be heard from the city center, resulting in a nighttime curfew that was imposed, which limited the hours that the airport could operate.

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