Japan's Acclaimed Kansai Airport Continues to Sink

Ongoing subsidence problems prompting urgent measures to prevent further damage

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OSAKA - Kansai International Airport faces ongoing subsidence problems as it sinks into Osaka Bay, prompting urgent measures by Japan to address and prevent further damage.

Kansai International Airport in Japan was recognized as the world's best airport for luggage handling in 2024, maintaining a flawless record of no lost luggage for more than a decade.

It has also won international accolades for its architectural design, efficiency and staff. However, this acclaimed airport is now "sinking".

Built on an artificial island in Osaka Bay, Kansai International Airport is one of Japan's largest construction and engineering projects.

The airport consists of two islands, with one covering 1,290ha and the other spanning 2,668ha.

It was constructed to alleviate congestion at the nearby Osaka International Airport and opened its doors on Sept 4, 1994.

Since then, the airport has increasingly served both domestic and international flights, becoming a vital aviation hub.

In 2024, approximately 30.6 million passengers passed through its terminals, traveling to 91 cities across 25 countries.

While these figures are impressive, it is hard to ignore the fact that the airport has sunk deeper into the soft clay beneath Osaka Bay than engineers had initially predicted and is continuing to sink every year.

Several factors contribute to the gradual sinking of the airport.

These include the weight of the land and infrastructure, as well as the method used to construct the island by dredging millions of tonnes of earth and stone and dumping them onto the seabed.

This process did not allow the soft sediment to compact sufficiently before construction began, making the island prone to settling over time.