Kansai International Airport

Terminal 2 was built exclusively for low cost airlines, marking a turning point in the passenger experience at Kansai. VINCI Airports has created a simplified passenger journey within the airport, with a redesigned check‑in process and security checkpoints endowed with new technology such as Smart Security, Fast Travel and Smart Lanes. From the moment travellers set foot in the terminal, the new design frees up time for them to enjoy everything the terminal has to offer. From services to shops and restaurants, the entire terminal has been designed for comfort and relaxation, as underlined by the airport’s brand signature, “Shaping a new journey”. Passengers can enjoy an extensive range of retail services with a balanced mix of international and local brands. The walkthrough duty‑free concept, a major innovation in Japan, ensures that all travellers see all of the shops as they walk through the airport.

In 2019, Kansai International Airport once again demonstrates its operational efficiency by placing in the Skytrax Best Airports for Baggage Delivery ranking for the fifth consecutive year.

VINCI Airports has also carried out major renovation works in the new domestic area of Terminal 1, with the first phase of the reconfiguration works at Kansai International Airport inaugurated in October 2022, followed in December 2023 by the inauguration of the extended and renovated Kansai International Airport terminal, the second phase of the renovation project. These modernization works aim to enhance the passenger experience as well as to increase the surface dedicated to international travel.

They have increased the airport’s capacity of KIX from 23 to 40 million international passengers, thanks to centralized functions for immigration of security. The new departure area provides a new walkthrough store and a new iconic plaza echoing the Kansai treasures. This new milestone puts KIX at the top of main Asian airports for its passenger experience with unmatched quality of its commercial offer.

Kansai International Airport has also demonstrated its operational efficiency by ranking among the best airports for baggage delivery in the Skytrax ranking for five consecutive years.

The Kansai International Airport Expansion and Renovation Project is the largest airport renovation project in the region in 50 years. It aims to enhance the attractiveness of the airport by increasing capacity for international flights and optimising the runway area, and offers a smoother and radically different experience for passengers through the increased use of Fast Travel, the creation of new lounge areas and other exciting innovations.
Not only will the airport provide passengers with an enhanced travel experience, but it will also help to stimulate Japan’s economic growth in the post-Covid-19 era.

The Osaka and Kansai aviation hubs, both managed by VINCI Airports, have adopted a strategy to reduce their CO₂ emissions.

In 2016, they became the first airports in Japan to receive Level 2 Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA). Proof of their continued efforts to improve came the following year, when they were both awarded Level 3 accreditation.

In July 2020, the airport introduced an initiative to reduce the use of plastic: bags made of recycled paper (FSC-certified) and/or made from biodegradable products are now available free of charge in stores at its three airports in the archipelago. This initiative resulted from the “Ideas vs plastic” internal challenge organized by VINCI Concessions in 2019.

In June 2022, Airbus and Kansai Airports signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to study the use of hydrogen at three of the airports operated by VINCI Airports in Japan. Through this partnership, Airbus and Kansai Airports will jointly prepare a roadmap to address the challenges and define a hydrogen requirements plan. The two players will lead the study on the development of infrastructure for the use of hydrogen in the aviation sector.

As a unique infrastructure built on an artificial island in Osaka Bay, Japan, Kansai International Airport is exposed to the typhoons and earthquakes that are common in the region. But the airport has developed cutting-edge expertise to increase the resilience of its operations in the event of an exceptional natural event. One of these innovations is the manufacture of concrete structures in the shape of a tetrapod, specially designed to dissipate the energy of marine currents once submerged, thus protecting the airport from swell and the risk of submersion. 48,000 tetrapods were immersed around Kansai International Airport in Osaka Bay.

• April 2016: VINCI Airports took over the operation of Kansai International Airport (KIX) with its Japanese partner, the Orix Corporation.
• January 2017: Terminal 2 was inaugurated.
• December 2018: Kansai International Airport began work on Terminal 1.
• 2019: KIX 25th birthday.
• 2021: launch of the airport expansion and renovation project.
• October 2022: inauguration of the new domestic zone in Terminal 1.
• December 2023: inauguration of the extended and renovated terminal at Kansai International Airport.