The world's first artificial island airport that is now sinking into the sea

By Holly Kintuka, Audience Writer

Kansai International Airport serves 30 million passengers every year (Image: Getty)

One of Asia's busiest airports is sinking into the sea. Kansai International Airport (KIX) was built on an artificial island and opened in 1994, after 20 years of planning and seven years of construction. The Japanese airport, located in Osaka Bay, covers an area of 1,260 acres on one island, 1,347 acres on a second, and is the world's first ocean airport. However, despite being an engineering marvel, the airport suffers from a huge issue.

Kansai International Airport is sinking into the soft clay foundation on which it was built, and it has been doing so ever since it was first established. Since 1994, the airport has subsided by around 12.5 feet, and a second island during an expansion project has sunk by a shocking 57 feet.

The progressive sinking has raised serious concerns regarding the airport's stability, as the rate of subsidence has accelerated rapidly in recent years.

Rising sea levels and extreme weather conditions also pose a significant threat to the airport. In 2018 western Japan was struck by Typhoon Jebi.

The typhoon caused extensive damage to the airport, including flooding of the main terminal and the suspension of airport operations for multiple days. The extreme event highlighted the urgent need to work on the airport's foundation and infrastructure. 

Engineers have focused on a series of stabilisation measures designed to slow the sinking and reinforce the airport's structure.

The airport is built on artificial land (Image: Getty)

The team has employed advanced technology and innovative construction techniques to monitor the subsidence at various points across the airport, including high-precision monitoring systems that provide real-time data on the rate of sinking and condition of the airport's foundations, reports Travel and Tour World.

Strategies to reinforce the island's foundation are also in place, such as injecting materials into the ground to strengthen the soft clay base and prevent further sinking. 

While KIX's future may be threatened, it remains one of Asia's top airports. In 2020, Skytrax, an airline and airport review website, ranked Kansai the tenth-best airport in the world. It has also received awards for Best Airport Staff in Asia, World's Best Airport Staff, and World's Best Airport for Baggage Delivery.