OSAKA - A meeting to deal with the three major airports in the Kansai region was held on Monday in Osaka City, where it was decided to officially submit a proposal for new flight routes for Kansai and Kobe Airports to the government, significantly increasing their capacity.
Discussions about Kansai, Itami, and Kobe Airports are reaching their final stages. During a meeting attended by top economic officials from the Kansai region, Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura, and Hyogo Governor Motohiko Saito, the new flight route proposal was officially approved.
Masayoshi Matsumoto, Chairman of the Kansai Economic Federation, stated, 'We must attract people from both domestic and international destinations. Kansai must unite to revive its economy.'
The need for new flight routes stems from the necessity to expand the capacity of Kansai and Kobe Airports. Currently, both airports have a cap on the number of flights they can handle due to safety concerns.
In response, the government proposed a new flight route over Awaji Island in June of last year to raise this limit. On this day, the new route proposal was approved by the top economic and municipal officials. They reiterated their commitment to explaining the noise issues and other concerns to the residents of the Awaji Island area.
Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura commented, 'The airports will cooperate to strengthen the economy. We aim to make efforts to consider and support the residents in areas affected by noise and other impacts.'
Going forward, discussions will involve the government and Kansai Airports to finalize the increased flight routes.
Source: YOMIURI
