Billion-Dollar Project Sinking: Japan's Kansai Airport Built on Reclaimed Land is Fast Sinking!
The Kansai International Airport, built over the sea in Japan and hailed as an engineering marvel of its time, is sinking into the sea. A fortune is being spent every year to keep the airport, which hosts millions of passengers, afloat. Nevertheless, Kansai is sinking several centimeters each year.
Here are the details.
It Was One of the World's Most Ambitious Engineering Projects: Now It's Sinking!
The Kansai International Airport, located in the Osaka Bay in Japan, was built entirely on an artificial island. Opened in 1994, Kansai made history as the first large international airport built on the sea. The giant artificial island, created miles off the coast to solve the noise problem in the city center, was told as a success story that pushed the limits of engineering for years. However, the soft clay layer under the island eventually turned into a big problem.
It Sank Much More Than Expected
In the initial calculations, it was predicted that the airport would settle at a certain level for decades. But the reality was very different. According to experts, the airport has sunk much more than expected since construction began. According to the latest data, the ground of the first artificial island has sunk about 3.8 meters since it was opened.
The airport is now sinking a few centimeters every year. Experts say that the sinking rate has slowed compared to past years, but it has not completely stopped.
Fortune Spent to Keep Standing
Authorities have been conducting maintenance works worth millions of dollars for years in order to continue operating the airport safely. While the sea walls are being raised, the structure is balanced with special hydraulic systems under the terminal building. Level differences that may occur on runways and other sections are regularly checked.
Experts point out that thanks to these measures, the airport continues its operations safely, but the rise in sea level and possible strong typhoons could increase the risk in the future.
Previously Hit by Typhoon Jebi
The vulnerability of Kansai Airport was demonstrated to the entire world with the Jebi Typhoon in 2018. As a result of giant waves surpassing the sea barriers, the runways were flooded, and a tanker hitting the bridge that connects the airport to the mainland completely halted transportation. After that incident, billions of yen worth of reinforcement works were initiated.
Still Serves Over 30 Million Passengers Every Year
Despite all these difficulties, Kansai International Airport continues to be one of Japan's most important transportation hubs. In 2024, the airport served approximately 30.6 million passengers and continued to operate flights to dozens of points around the world.
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