Transport minister Chikage Ogi called Friday for a review of the operations of Osaka International Airport with a view to reducing flight slots and stripping it of its current designation as an international airport.
The comments by the land, infrastructure and transport minister were seen as an effort by the government to alleviate noise pollution around the airport in Itami, bordering Osaka and Hyogo prefectures, and shift traffic to Kansai International Airport off Osaka and a new airport near Kobe that is currently under construction.
Kansai International Airport, built on a man-made island far from downtown Osaka, has already been hit hard by the economic slump, and many industry observers fear that Kobe airport, being built about 8 km from the city center, will only add to the overcapacity in Kansai region air traffic.