OSAKA -- Kansai International Airport has earned international praise for its clean lavatories and other services, but its goal of being a major Asian hub appears to be sinking and the controversial, costly, hard-fought second runway set to open in less than a year appears unlikely to turn things around.
Kansai airport will open the second 4,000-meter parallel runway next Aug. 2 on a new part of the artificial island south of the current runway and terminal.
The second runway, which is almost completed, marks the end of a long political battle. On one side were Kansai officials and their allies in the transport ministry. On the other were the Finance Ministry, numerous foreign airlines and a wide variety of critics who said it was not needed, especially because of the decline in flight numbers at what is considered one of the world's most expensive airports to land at.