To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Kansai International Airport (KIX) has inaugurated major modernization and extension works. With around 28 million visitors expected during the six months of the Expo 2025 Osaka global event, major renovation has increased the capacity of Terminal 1 to 40 million passengers annually.
Passenger experience
The airport has introduced new retail areas, the largest walkthrough duty free in Japan, spaces designed to reflect the various profiles of passengers transiting through the airport, and one of the biggest business and premium lounges in the world (with capacity for more than 1,000 passengers, including families).
Airport operator Vinci Airports has also deployed new check-in areas with a self-bag-drop system shared between airlines; 10 latest-generation security screening inspection lanes using technologies based on artificial intelligence; immigration control procedure via e-gates; and call-to-gate technology for better passenger comfort and optimal gate allocation. According to the partners, these solutions increase capacity and reduce waiting times (95% of passengers pass through security controls in less than five minutes) and offer a higher quality of service.
Sustainability mindset
Vinci Airports has implemented its environmental strategy at KIX, aiming for net zero emissions across its network by 2050 (Scope 1 and 2 emissions) while also addressing its Scope 3 emissions. Following numerous initiatives to avoid, reduce and separate its carbon emissions – such as optimizing energy efficiency, introducing electric and fuel-cell vehicles and developing solar plants or seaweed beds as CO2 absorption sources – KIX has reached Level 4 of the Airport Carbon Accreditation certification. It also has the largest solar power generation capacity of any airport in Japan.
To further these sustainability goals, KIX is also preparing for the future of mobility. The airport is participating in a partnership that aims to start the first large-scale commercial production of sustainable aviation fuels in Japan in 2025. It has also entered a strategic partnership with Airbus to work toward the introduction of hydrogen-fueled aircraft, the first such partnership at an airport in Japan.
Over the past three decades, KIX has experienced remarkable growth in passenger traffic, serving over 30.6 million passengers in 2024. Nicolas Notebaert, CEO of concessions at Vinci and president of Vinci Airports, said, “What a great journey for Vinci Airports and Kansai Airports we celebrated at KIX, at the service of the Kansai region’s attractivity and of its inhabitants’ connectivity to the world. With our partners, we have demonstrated how we can leverage our expertise to optimize and modernize the airport while accelerating its environmental transition, and we will continue to do so. We look forward to welcoming the world in Kansai for the Osaka Expo 2025!”
In related news, Kansai Airports (KAP) and Peach Aviation (Peach) recently launched a joint art project at Kansai International Airport (KIX) Terminal 2 (T2). Click here to read the full story.