Kansai International Airport

Kansai International Airport

Source: Background image from Google Earth.

Kansai International Airport is one of the world’s most expensive civil engineering projects. Terminal 1 and the first runway started operations in 1994. It remains as of 2015 the longest airport terminal in the world. The rail station at Terminal 1 is serviced by regular train connections to Osaka and Kobe, which crosses the Sky Gate Bridge. The two levels bridge was designed to carry vehicles on the top level and trains on the bottom level. The second runway project, which included Terminal 2, was completed in 2007 and close to double the surface of the airport. Terminal 2 is a simple facility with no skybridges designed to accommodate low-cost airlines. Although plans were made for a third runway and an additional cargo terminal, those plans were postponed due to the limited economic growth taking place in Japan.