The metropolis of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto is one of the largest and most economically dynamic in the World. As the region is located in a large bay surrounded by hills, it reaches a population density that leaves very little room for an airport.
As early as the 1960s, the need to build a world class international airport made the local authorities envision an artificial Island in Osaka Bay. Construction for the new artificial island, Kankujima, started in 1987. It is a major engineering achievement, having to overcome the difficulty of reclaiming land over a silt seafloor 8 meters below surface on average, in a region prone to typhoons and earthquakes. The estimate for the amount of work to build the artificial island is above 5,000 staff years, making it the most ambitious project of artificial island to-date. Kansai Airport opened in 1994.
Kansai Airport
