Huge airport with 30m passengers every year is sinking into the sea

major airport that welcomes 30 million passengers annually is battling persistent subsidence. Kansai International Airport in Osaka is the main hub for passengers travelling to Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe but it is continually slipping further below ground level. The mirror reported.

Kansai Airport was initially built to alleviate overcrowding at Osaka’s first airport, Itami Airport (ITM). But with no land left to expand the Itami airport, the decision was made to construct the Kansai airport in Osaka Bay, where its offshore location wouldn’t disturb local residents.

Thus, the £14billion airport was constructed across two artificial islands in Osaka Bay. The airport was specifically designed to be able to withstand seismic activity, which is why the runways are able to bend during an earthquake to reduce the risk of fracture.