Kansai International Airport in Osaka, Japan, which serves over 30 million passengers annually, is reportedly sinking into the sea due to rising sea levels and land subsidence.
(OSAKA, JAPAN) – Kansai International Airport, a major hub serving Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe with 30 million annual passengers, is gradually sinking into Osaka Bay. Built for £14 billion on two artificial islands over soft alluvial clay, engineers anticipated subsidence but underestimated the rate.
By 1990, before its 1994 opening, the islands had sunk 27 feet, exceeding the 19-foot projection. While extensive engineering, including sand drains and raised seawalls costing $150 million, has significantly slowed the descent from 19 inches in 1994 to 2.3 inches in 2023, the process continues.
Experts predict some sections could drop below sea level by 2056. The airport faces combined threats from subsidence and climate change, highlighted when Typhoon Jebi flooded runways in 2018. Despite these challenges and ongoing costly maintenance, the airport is proceeding with expansion plans to handle 40 million passengers.
