Itaipu Dam

Itaipu Dam
Location of Itaipu Dam
Official name	Central Hidroeléctrica Itaipú Binacional Usina Hidrelétrica Itaipu Binacional
Country	Brazil  Paraguay
Locale	Foz do Iguaçu Ciudad del Este
Coordinates	25°24′29″S 54°35′20″WCoordinates: 25°24′29″S 54°35′20″W
Status	Operational
Construction began	January 1970
Opening date	5 May 1984
Construction cost	US$19.6 billion
Owner(s)	Itaipu Binacional
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Combination gravity, buttress and embankment sections
Height	196 m (643 ft)
Length	7,919 m (25,981 ft)
Volume	12,300,000 m3 (430,000,000 cu ft)
Impounds	Paraná River
Spillway capacity	62,200 m3/s (2,196,572 cu ft/s)
Reservoir
Creates	Itaipu Reservoir
Capacity	29,000,000,000 m3 (24,000,000 acre·ft)
Catchment area	1,350,000 km2 (520,000 sq mi)
Power station
Type	Conventional
Hydraulic head	118 m (387 ft)
Turbines	20 × 700 MW Francis-type
Installed capacity	14,000 MW
Annual generation	91.6 TWh (2009)
Net generation	1,761 TWh (2009)
Website www.itaipu.gov.br www.itaipu.gov.py

The Itaipu Dam (Guarani: Itaipu, Portuguese: Itaipu, Spanish: Itaipú; Portuguese pronunciation: [ita.iˈpu], Spanish pronunciation: [itaiˈpu]) is a hydroelectric dam on the Paraná River located on the border between Brazil and Paraguay. The name "Itaipu" was taken from an isle that existed near the construction site. In the Guarani language, Itaipu means "the sound of a stone". The American composer Philip Glass has also written a symphonic cantata named Itaipu, in honour of the structure.
The dam is the largest operating hydroelectric facility in terms of annual generating capacity, generating 94.7 TWh in 2008 and 91.6 TWh in 2009, while the annual generating capacity of the Three Gorges Dam was 80.8 TWh in 2008 and 79.4 TWh in 2009.^[1] It is a binational undertaking run by Brazil and Paraguay at the Paraná River on the border section between the two countries, 15 km (9.3 mi) north of the Friendship Bridge. The project ranges from Foz do Iguaçu, in Brazil, and Ciudad del Este in Paraguay, in the south to Guaíra and Salto del Guaíra in the north. The installed generation capacity of the plant is 14 GW, with 20 generating units providing 700 MW each with a hydraulic design head of 118 m. In 2008 the plant generated a record 94.68 billion kWh, supplying 90% of the electricity consumed by Paraguay and 19% of that consumed by Brazil.^[2]
Of the twenty generator units currently installed, ten generate at 50 Hz for Paraguay and ten generate at 60 Hz for Brazil. Two 600 kV HVDC lines, each approximately 800 km long, carry both Brazilian and Paraguayan energy to São Paulo where the terminal equipment converts the power to 60 Hz.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Negotiations between Brazil and Paraguay 1.2 Construction starts 1.3 Paraná River rerouted 1.4 Agreement by Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina 1.5 Formation of the lake 1.6 Start of operations 1.7 Capacity expansion in 2007 2 November 2009 power failure 3 Wonder of the Modern World 4 Social and environmental impacts 5 Statistics 5.1 Construction 5.2 Generating station and dam 5.3 Generation

History

Negotiations between Brazil and Paraguay

The concept behind Itaipu Power Plant was the result of heavy negotiations between the two countries during the 1960s. The "Ata do Iguaçu" (Iguaçu Act) was signed on July 22, 1966, by the Brazilian and Paraguayan Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Juracy Magalhães and Sapena Pastor, respectively. This was a joint declaration of the mutual interest in studying the exploitation of the hydric resources that the two countries shared in the section of the Paraná River starting from, and including, the Salto de Sete Quedas, to the Iguaçu River's watershed. The Treaty that gave origin to the power plant was signed in 1973.
The terms of the treaty, which expires in 2023, have been the subject of widespread discontent in Paraguay. The government of President Lugo vowed to renegotiate the terms of the treaty with Brazil, which long remained hostile to any renegotiation.^[3]
In 2009, Brazil agreed to a fairer payment of electricity to Paraguay and also allowed Paraguay to sell excess power directly to Brazilian companies instead of solely through the Brazilian electricity monopoly.^[4][5]

Construction starts

The dam undergoes expansion work.

In 1970, the consortium formed by the companies IECO (from the United States of America) and ELC Electroconsult S.p.A. (from Italy) won the international competition for the realization of the viability studies and for the elaboration of the construction project. Work began in February 1971. On April 26, 1973, Brazil and Paraguay signed the Itaipu Treaty, the legal instrument for the hydroelectric exploitation of the Paraná River by the two countries. On May 17, 1974, the Itaipu Binacional entity was created to administer the plant's construction. The works began in January of the following year.

Paraná River rerouted

On October 14, 1978, the Paraná River had its route changed, which allowed a section of the riverbed to dry so the dam could be built there.

Agreement by Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina

An important diplomatic settlement was reached with the signing of the Acordo Tripartite by Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, on October 19, 1979. This agreement established the allowed river levels and how much they could change as a result of the various hydroelectrical undertakings in the watershed that was shared by the three countries. At that time, the three countries were ruled by military dictatorships. Argentina was concerned that, in the event of a conflict, Brazil could open the floodgates, raising the water level in the River Plate and consequently flood the capital city of Buenos Aires.

Formation of the lake

The plant's reservoir began its formation on October 13, 1982, when the dam works were completed and the side canal's gates were closed. Throughout this period, heavy rains and flooding accelerated the filling of the reservoir as the water rose 100 meters (330 ft) and reached the gates of the spillway at 10 a.m. on October 27.

Start of operations

On May 5, 1984, the first generation unit started running in Itaipu. The first 18 units were installed at the rate of two to three a year; the last two of these started running in the year 1991.

Capacity expansion in 2007

The last two of the 20 electric generation units started operations in September 2006 and in March 2007, thus raising the installed capacity to 14 GW and completing the power plant. This increase in capacity will allow for 18 generation units to remain running all of the time while two stay down for maintenance. Due to a clause in the treaty signed between Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, the maximum number of generating units allowed to operate simultaneously cannot exceed 18 (see the agreement section for more information).
The rated nominal power of each generating unit (turbine and generator) is 700 MW. However, because the head (difference between reservoir level and the river level at the foot of the dam) that actually occurs is higher than the designed head (118 m), the power available exceeds 750 MW half of the time for each generator.
Each turbine generates around 700 MW; by comparison, all the water from the Iguaçu Falls would have the capacity to feed only two generators.

November 2009 power failure

Main article: 2009 Brazil and Paraguay blackout

On November 10, 2009, transmission from the plant was totally disrupted, possibly due to a storm damaging up to three high-voltage distribution lines.^[6] Itaipu itself was not damaged. This caused massive power outages in Brazil and Paraguay, blacking out the entire country of Paraguay for 15 minutes, and plunging Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo into darkness for more than 2 hours. 50 million people were reportedly affected.^[7] The blackout hit at 10:13 p.m. local time. It affected the southeast of Brazil most severely, leaving São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo completely without electricity. Blackouts also swept through the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, the interior of Bahia and parts of Pernambuco, energy officials said.^[8] By 12:30 a.m. power had been restored to most areas.

Wonder of the Modern World

In 1994, the American Society of Civil Engineers elected the Itaipu Dam as one of the seven modern Wonders of the World. In 1995, the American magazine Popular Mechanics published the results.^[9]

Panoramic view of the Itaipu Dam, with the spillways (closed at the time of the photo) on the left

Social and environmental impacts

When construction of the dam began, approximately 10,000 families living beside the Paraná River were displaced.^[10]
The world's largest waterfall by volume, the Guaíra Falls were drowned by the newly formed Itaipu reservoir. The Brazilian government liquidated the Guaíra Falls National Park, and dynamited the submerged rock face where the falls had been, facilitating safer navigation, but eliminating the possibility of restoring the falls in the future. A few months before the reservoir was filled, 80 people died when an overcrowded bridge overlooking the falls collapsed, as tourists sought a last glimpse of the falls.^[11]

Statistics

Spillways in action.

The dam at night.

Construction

• The course of the seventh biggest river in the world was shifted, as were 50 million tons of earth and rock.
• The amount of concrete used to build the Itaipu Power Plant would be enough to build 210 football stadiums the size of the Estádio do Maracanã.
• The iron and steel used would allow for the construction of 380 Eiffel Towers.
• The volume of excavation of earth and rock in Itaipu is 8.5 times greater than that of the Channel Tunnel and the volume of concrete is 15 times greater.
• Around forty thousand people worked in the construction.^{[citation needed]}
• The cost of constructing Itaipu makes it one of the most expensive objects ever built.

Generating station and dam

• The total length of the dam is 7235 m. The crest elevation is 225 m. Itaipu is actually four dams joined together — from the far left, an earth fill dam, a rock fill dam, a concrete buttress main dam, and a concrete wing dam to the right.
• The spillway has a length of 483 m.
• The maximum flow of Itaipu's fourteen segmented spillways is 62.2 thousand cubic metres per second, into three skislope formed canals. It is equivalent to 40 times the average flow of the nearby natural Iguaçu Falls.
• The flow of two generators (700 m³·s⁻¹ each) is roughly equivalent to the average flow of the Iguaçu Falls (1500 m³·s⁻¹).
• If Brazil were to use Thermal Power Generation to produce the electric power of Itaipu, 434,000 barrels (69,000 m³) of petroleum would have to be burned every day.
• The dam is 196 metres high, equivalent to a 65-story building.^[12]
• Though it is the seventh largest reservoir in size in Brazil, the Itaipu's reservoir has the best relation between electricity production and flooded area. For the 14,000 MW installed power, 1350 square kilometres were flooded. The reservoirs for the hydroelectric power plants of Sobradinho Dam, Tucuruí Dam, Porto Primavera Dam, Balbina Dam, Serra da Mesa Dam and Furnas Dam are all larger than the one for Itaipu, but have a smaller installed generating capacity. The one with the largest hydroelectric production, Tucuruí, has an installed capacity of 8,000 MW, while flooding 2,430 km² (938 sq mi) of land.

Generation

Inside the dam structure.

Annual production of energy

Year	Installed units	GWh
1984	0–2	277
1985	2–3	6,327
1986	3–6	21,853
1987	6–9	35,807
1988	9–12	38,508
1989	12–15	47,230
1990	15–16	53,090
1991	16–18	57,517
1992	18	52,268
1993	18	59,997
1994	18	69,394
1995	18	77,212
1996	18	81,654
1997	18	89,237
1998	18	87,845
1999	18	90,001
2000	18	93,428
2001	18	79,307
2002	18	82,914
2003	18	89,151
2004	18	89,911
2005	18	87,971
2006	19	92,690
2007	20	90,620
2008	20	94,684
2009	20	91,652
2010	20	85,970
Total	20	1,846,517

Akashi Kaikyō Bridge

Akashi Kaikyō Bridge Akashi Kaikyō Ō-hashi (明石海峡大橋?)
Akashi Kaikyō Bridge from the air.
Other name(s)	Pearl bridge
Carries	6 lanes of roadway
Crosses	Akashi Strait[1]
Locale	Awaji Island and Kobe[1]
Maintained by	Honshū-Shikoku Bridge Authority
Design	Suspension bridge[1]
Total length	3,911 meters (12,831 ft)
Height	282.8 metres (928 ft) (pylons)[1]
Longest span	1,991 meters (6,532 ft)[1]
Clearance below	65.72 metres
Construction begin	1988[1]
Construction end	1998[1]
Opened	April 5, 1998
Toll	¥2,300
Coordinates	34°36′59″N 135°01′13″ECoordinates: 34°36′59″N 135°01′13″E

The Akashi-Kaikyō Bridge (明石海峡大橋 Akashi Kaikyō Ō-hashi^?), also known as the Pearl Bridge, has the longest central span of any suspension bridge, at 1,991 metres (6,532 ft). It is located in Japan and was completed in 1998.^[1] The bridge links the city of Kobe on the mainland of Honshū to Iwaya on Awaji Island by crossing the busy Akashi Strait. It carries part of the Honshū-Shikoku Highway.
The bridge is one of the key links of the Honshū-Shikoku Bridge Project, which created three routes across the Inland Sea.

Contents 1 History 2 Architecture 3 Use 4 Nearby attractions

History

Before the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge was built, ferries carried passengers across the Akashi Strait in Japan. This dangerous waterway often experiences severe storms, and in 1955, two ferries sank in the strait during a storm, killing 168 people. The ensuing shock and public outrage convinced the Japanese government to develop plans for a suspension bridge to cross the strait. The original plan called for a mixed railway-road bridge, but when construction on the bridge began in April 1986, the construction was restricted to road only, with six lanes. Actual construction did not begin until May 1986, and the bridge was opened for traffic on April 5, 1998. The Akashi Strait is an international waterway that necessitated the provision of a 1,500-metre (4,921 ft)-wide shipping lane.

Architecture

The bridge has three spans. The central span is 1,991 m (6,532 ft),^[1] and the two other sections are each 960 m (3,150 ft). The bridge is 3,911 m (12,831 ft) long overall. The central span was originally only 1,990 m (6,529 ft), but the Kobe earthquake on January 17, 1995, moved the two towers sufficiently (only the towers had been erected at the time) so that it had to be increased by 1 m (3.3 ft).^[1]
The bridge was designed with a two-hinged stiffening girder system, allowing the structure to withstand winds of 286 kilometres per hour (178 mph), earthquakes measuring to 8.5 on the Richter scale, and harsh sea currents. The bridge also contains pendulums that are designed to operate at the resonance frequency of the bridge to damp forces. The two main supporting towers rise 298 m (978 ft) above sea level, and the bridge can expand because of heating up to 2 m (7 ft) over the course of a day. Each anchorage required 350,000 tonnes (340,000 LT; 390,000 ST) of concrete. The steel cables have 300,000 kilometres (190,000 mi) of wire: each cable is 112 centimetres (44 in) in diameter and contains 36,830 strands of wire.^[2][3]
The Akashi-Kaikyo bridge has a total of 1737 illumination lights: 1084 for the main cables, 116 for the main towers, 405 for the girders and 132 for the anchorages. On the main cables three high light discharged tubes are mounted in the colors red, green and blue. The RGB model and computer technology make for a variety of combinations. Currently, 28 patterns are used for occasions as national or regional holidays, memorial days or festivities.^{[citation needed]}

Use

The total cost is estimated at ¥500 billion, and is expected to be defrayed by charging drivers a toll to cross the bridge. The toll is ¥2,300 and the bridge is used by approximately 23,000 cars/day.^[4]

Nearby attractions

Three parks in proximity of the bridge have been built for tourists, one in Maiko (including a small museum) and one in Asagiri. Both are accessible by the coastal train line.

Kansai International Airport

Kansai International Airport 関西国際空港 Kansai Kokusai Kūkō
IATA: KIX – ICAO: RJBB
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		Kansai International Airport Co., Ltd.
Serves		Osaka
Location		Osaka Bay, Osaka, Japan
Hub for		All Nippon Airways Japan Airlines Nippon Cargo Airlines
Elevation AMSL		17 ft / 5 m
Coordinates		34°26′03″N 135°13′58″ECoordinates: 34°26′03″N 135°13′58″E
Website		www.kiac.co.jp
Map
Kansai Int. Airport Location of Kansai International Airport
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
06R/24L	3,500	11,483	Asphalt concrete
06L/24R	4,000	13,123	Asphalt concrete
Statistics (FY2009)
Aircraft Movements			108,672
Passenger Movements			13,513,447
Freight Volume			633,777 t
Sources: Japanese AIP at AIS Japan[1] Statistics from Kansai International Airport[2]

Kansai International Airport (関西国際空港 Kansai Kokusai Kūkō^?) (IATA: KIX, ICAO: RJBB) is an international airport located on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay, 38 km (24 mi) southwest of Ōsaka Station,^[1] off the shore of the cities of Sennan and Izumisano and the town of Tajiri in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It should not be confused with Osaka International Airport, which is closer to the city and now handles only domestic flights.
It was ranked 4th overall in the Airport of the Year 2006 awards named by Skytrax, after Singapore Changi Airport, Hong Kong International Airport and Munich Airport. The airport serves as an international hub for All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, and Nippon Cargo Airlines.
It is colloquially known as Kankū (関空^?) in Japanese.
During the 2006 fiscal year (FY), KIX, which serves the city of Osaka, had 116,475 aircraft movements, of which 73,860 were international (31 countries, 71 cities), and 42,615 were domestic (19 cities). The total number of passengers was 16,689,658 of which 11,229,444 were international, and 5,460,214 were domestic, sixth in Japan and second in Osaka area. However, in 2009, Kansai Airport traffic has fallen by almost 20% in just two years to 13.4 million.^[3]Freight volume was at 802,162 tonnes total, of which 757,414 t were international (18th in the world), and 44,748 t were domestic.^[2] The 4,000 × 60 m (13,123 × 197 ft) second runway was opened on 2 August 2007. Kansai Airport has become an Asian hub, with 499 weekly flights to Asia, 66 weekly flights to Europe and the Middle East, and 35 weekly flights to North America.

Contents 1 Flights 2 History 2.1 Construction 2.2 Operation 2.3 Expansion 3 Terminal 4 Airlines and destinations 4.1 Cargo 5 Ground transportation 5.1 Rail 5.2 Bus 5.3 Parking 5.4 Ferry service 6 Other facilities

Flights

• Weekly international passenger flights: 614
• Weekly international freighter flights: 200
• Weekly domestic (passenger and freighter) flights: 493

(Summer 2008 schedule)^[4]

History

3rd floor boarding lobby, part of the longest airport concourse in the world.

In the 1960s, when the Kansai region was rapidly losing trade to Tokyo, planners proposed a new airport near Kobe and Osaka. Osaka International Airport, located in the densely-populated suburbs of Itami and Toyonaka, was surrounded by buildings; it could not be expanded, and many of its neighbors had filed complaints because of noise pollution problems.
After the protests surrounding New Tokyo International Airport (now Narita International Airport), which was built with expropriated land in a rural part of Chiba Prefecture, planners decided to build the airport offshore. The new airport was part of a number of new developments to revitalize Osaka, which had lost economic and cultural ground to Tokyo for most of the century.^[5]
Initially, the airport was planned to be built near Kobe, but the city of Kobe refused the plan, so the airport was moved to a more southerly location on Osaka Bay. There, it could be open 24 hours per day, unlike its predecessor in the city.

Construction

Satellite photo of Kansai Airport (lower-right island) in Osaka Bay. Kobe Airport is being built on the unfinished island near the middle of the photo. Central Osaka is in the upper-right corner, along with Osaka International.

Closeup of the artificial island

A man-made island, 4 km (2.5 mi) long and 2.5 km (1.6 mi) wide, was proposed. Engineers needed to overcome the extremely high risks of earthquakes and typhoons (with storm surges of up to 3 m (10 ft)).
Construction started in 1987. The sea wall was finished in 1989 (made of rock and 48,000 tetrahedral concrete blocks). Three mountains were excavated for 21,000,000 m³ (27,000,000 cu yd) of landfill. 10,000 workers and 10 million work hours over three years, using eighty ships, were needed to complete the 30-metre (98 ft) layer of earth over the sea floor and inside the sea wall. In 1990, a three kilometer bridge was completed to connect the island to the mainland at Rinku Town, at a cost of $1 billion. Completion of the artificial island increased the area of Osaka Prefecture just enough to move it past Kagawa Prefecture in size (leaving Kagawa as the smallest by area in Japan).
The bidding and construction of the airport was a source of international trade friction during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone responded to American concerns, particularly from Senator Frank Murkowski, that bids would be rigged in Japanese companies' favor by providing special offices for prospective international contractors,^[6] which ultimately did little to ease the participation of foreign contractors in the bidding process.^[7] Later, foreign airlines complained that two-thirds of the departure hall counter space had been allocated to Japanese carriers, disproportionately to the actual carriage of passengers through the airport.^[8]
The island had been predicted to gradually sink as the weight of the material used for construction would cause it to compress. However, by this time, the island had sunk 8 m (26 ft), much more than predicted. The project then became the most expensive civil works project in modern history after twenty years of planning, three years of construction and several billion dollars of investment. Much of what was learned went into the successful artificial islands in silt deposits for New Kitakyushu Airport, Kobe Airport, and Chūbu Centrair International Airport. The lessons of Kansai Airport were also applied in the construction of Hong Kong International Airport.^[9]
In 1991, the terminal construction commenced. To compensate for the sinking of the island, adjustable columns were designed to support the terminal building. These could be extended by inserting thick metal plates at their bases. Government officials proposed reducing the length of the terminal to cut costs, but architect Renzo Piano insisted on keeping the terminal at its full planned length.^[10] The airport opened in 1994.
On 17 January 1995, Japan was struck by the Kobe earthquake, whose epicenter was about 20 km (12 mi) away from KIX and killed 6,434 people on Japan's main island of Honshū. Due to its earthquake engineering, the airport emerged unscathed, mostly due to the use of sliding joints. Even the glass in the windows remained intact. Later, in 1998, the airport survived a typhoon with wind speeds of up to 200 km/h (120 mph).
On 19 April 2001, the airport was one of ten structures given the "Civil Engineering Monument of the Millennium" award by the American Society of Civil Engineers.^[11]
The total cost of Kansai Airport so far is $20 billion. This includes land reclamation, two runways, terminal and facilities. Most additional costs were initially due to the island sinking, expected due to the soft soils of Osaka Bay. After construction the rate of sinking was considered so severe that the airport was widely criticized as a geotechnical engineering disaster. The sink rate has since fallen from 50 cm (20 in) during 1994 to 7 cm (2.8 in) in 2008.^[12]

Operation

Aircraft in front of the terminal building

4th floor ticketing hall, illustrating the terminal's airfoil roof.

Opened on 4 September 1994, the airport serves as a hub for several airlines such as All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, and Nippon Cargo Airlines. It is the international gateway for Japan's Kansai region, which contains the major cities of Kyoto, Kobe, and Osaka. Other Kansai domestic flights fly from the older but more conveniently located Osaka International Airport in Itami, or from the newer Kobe Airport.
The airport had been deeply in debt, losing $560 million in interest every year. Airlines had been kept away by high landing fees (about $7,500 for a Boeing 747), the second most expensive in the world after Narita's. In the early years of the airport's operation, excessive terminal rent and utility bills for on-site concessions also drove up operating costs: some estimates before opening held that a cup of coffee would have to cost US$10.^[13] Osaka business owners pressed the government to take a greater burden of the construction cost to keep the airport attractive to passengers and airlines.^[14] Nowadays, after deep discounts, the number of flights is increasing.
On 17 February 2005, Chubu Centrair International Airport opened in Nagoya, just east of Osaka. The opening of the airport was expected to increase competition between Japan's international airports. Despite this, passenger totals were up 11% in 2005 over 2004, and international passengers increased to 3.06 million in 2006, up 10% over 2005. Adding to the competition was the opening of Kobe Airport, less than 25 km (16 mi) away, in 2006 and the lengthening of the runway at Tokushima Airport in Shikoku in 2007.
The main rationale behind the expansions is to compete with Incheon International Airport and Hong Kong International Airport as a gateway to Asia, as Tokyo area airports are severely congested. However, with the regional trend in open skies agreements being signed, it is possible that all airports can see increases in traffic.
Kansai has been marketed as an alternative to Narita Airport for international travellers from the Greater Tokyo Area. By flying to Kansai from Haneda Airport and connecting to international flights there, travellers can save the additional time required to get to Narita: up to one and a half hours for many residents of Kanagawa Prefecture and southern Tokyo. Due to the time-limited nature of Haneda's new long-haul international slots this will remain a viable option for daytime travelers.

Expansion

Second phase of Kansai International Airport under construction

The airport was at its limit during peak times, owing especially to freight flights, so a portion of Phase II expansion—the second runway—was made a priority.^[15] Thus, in 2003, believing that the sinking problem was almost over, the airport operators started to construct a 4,000 m (13,000 ft) second runway and terminal.
The second runway opened on 2 August 2007, but without the originally planned terminal portion, now postponed to a later date. This lowered the project cost to JPY¥910 billion (approx. US$8 billion), saving ¥650 billion from the first estimate.^[16] The additional runway development, which was opened in time for the IAAF world athletics championships in Osaka, has expanded the airport size to 10.5 km² (4.1 sq mi).
Further into the future, the airport is planning to construct a new terminal building, several aprons, a third runway (06C/24C) with a length of 3,500 m (11,483 ft), a new cargo terminal and expanding the airport size to 13 km² (5.0 sq mi). However, the Japanese Government is postponing these plans for economic reasons. The new runway is only used for landings unless there are incidents prohibiting take off use of runway A.
The airport now expects to handle 129,000 flights during the year 2007, an increase of 11% compared to 2006 figures of 116,475 flights. The new runway allowed the airport to start 24 hour operations in September 2007.^[17][18]

Terminal

The ground level of the terminal looking north from the center

The KIX passenger terminal is a single four-storey building designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop (Renzo Piano and Noriaki Okabe) and has a gross floor space of 296,043 square metres (3,186,580 sq ft). It is the longest airport terminal in the world, at a total length of 1.7 km (1.1 mi) from end to end. It has a sophisticated people mover system called the Wing Shuttle, which moves passengers from one end of the pier to the other.
The terminal's roof is shaped like an airfoil. This shape is used to promote air circulation through the building: giant air conditioning ducts blow air upwards at one side of the terminal, circulate the air across the curvature of the ceiling, and collect the air through intakes at the other side. Mobiles are suspended in the ticketing hall to take advantage of the flowing air.
The ticketing hall overlooks the international departures concourse, and the two are separated by a glass partition. During Kansai's early days, visitors were known to throw objects over the partition to friends in the corridor below. The partition was eventually modified to halt this practice.

Airlines and destinations

The second floor of the Passenger Terminal Building is used for domestic departures and arrivals. All ticketing, boarding, and baggage claim are handled on the second floor. International arrivals go to immigration and baggage claim on the first floor. International departures are ticketed on the fourth floor and board from the third floor.

Airlines	Destinations	Wing
Air Busan	Busan	North
Air China	Beijing-Capital, Dalian, Shanghai-Pudong, Shenzhen	South
Air France	Paris-Charles de Gaulle	South
Air India	Delhi, Hong Kong	South
Air Macau	Macau	North
Air New Zealand	Auckland	South
Aircalin	Nouméa	South
Alitalia	Rome-Fiumicino	North
All Nippon Airways	Hong Kong, Naha, Sapporo-Chitose, Seoul-Incheon, Shanghai-Pudong, Tokyo-Haneda, Wakkanai	North
All Nippon Airways operated by Air Nippon	Beijing-Capital, Dalian, Fukuoka, Hakodate, Hangzhou, Naha, Qingdao, Tokyo-Haneda Seasonal: Memambetsu, Wakkanai	North
Asiana Airlines	Busan, Seoul-Gimpo, Seoul-Incheon Seasonal: Saipan	North
Cathay Pacific	Hong Kong, Taipei-Taoyuan	North
Cebu Pacific	Manila	North
China Airlines	Kaohsiung, New York-JFK [begins April 28], Taipei-Taoyuan	South
China Eastern Airlines	Beijing-Capital, Nanjing, Kunming, Qingdao, Shanghai-Pudong, Wuhan, Yantai	South
China Southern Airlines	Dailan, Guangzhou, Harbin, Shenyang	South
Continental Airlines	Guam	South
Delta Air Lines	Guam, Honolulu, Seattle/Tacoma	North
Emirates	Dubai	South
EVA Air	Taipei-Taoyuan	North
Finnair	Helsinki	North
Garuda Indonesia	Denpasar/Bali, Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta	North
Hainan Airlines	Haikou	South
Hawaiian Airlines	Honolulu [begins July 13][19]
Hong Kong Express Airways	Hong Kong	South
Japan Airlines	Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Fukuoka, Honolulu, Naha, Sapporo-Chitose, Shanghai-Pudong, Taipei-Taoyuan, Tokyo-Haneda, Tokyo-Narita	South
Japan Airlines operated by J-Air	Fukuoka	South
Japan Airlines operated by JAL Express	Seoul-Gimpo, Shanghai-Pudong, Tokyo-Haneda	South
Japan Airlines operated by Japan Transocean Air	Ishigaki, Naha, Tokyo-Haneda	South
Jeju Air	Seoul-Gimpo, Seoul-Incheon	North
Jetstar Airways	Cairns, Gold Coast, Sydney	North
Jetstar Asia Airways	Singapore, Taipei-Taoyuan	North
KLM	Amsterdam	North
Korean Air	Busan, Cheongju, Guam, Jeju, Seoul-Gimpo, Seoul-Incheon	North
Lufthansa	Frankfurt	North
Malaysia Airlines	Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Kuching	North
MIAT Mongolian Airlines	Seasonal: Ulan Bator	North
Philippine Airlines	Manila	South
Qatar AirwaysA	Doha	North
Shandong Airlines	Jinan
Shanghai Airlines	Shanghai-Pudong	North
Shenzhen Airlines	Fuzhou, Shenzhen, Wuxi	South
Singapore Airlines	Singapore	South
StarFlyer	Tokyo-Haneda	South
Thai Airways International	Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi	North
Turkish Airlines	Istanbul-Atatürk	North
United Airlines	San Francisco	North
Uzbekistan Airways	Tashkent	North
Vietnam Airlines	Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City	South
Xiamen Airlines	Hangzhou, Xiamen	South

:A:^ Some of Qatar Airways's flights stop at Tokyo-Narita en route to Doha. However, the airline has no rights to transport passengers solely between Osaka and Tokyo.

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
Air China Cargo	Beijing, Shanghai-Pudong
Air Hong Kong	Hong Kong
Aircompany Yakutia	Shanghai-Pudong
ANA & JP Express	Seoul-Incheon
ANA Cargo	Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Dalian, Qingdao, Saga, Shanghai-Pudong, Tokyo-Haneda, Tokyo-Narita, Xiamen
Asiana Cargo	Osaka-Itami, Seoul-Incheon
Cathay Pacific Cargo	Hong Kong
China Airlines Cargo	Taipei-Taoyuan, Los Angeles
China Cargo Airlines	Shanghai-Pudong, Xiamen
China Postal Airlines	Shanghai-Pudong
Dragonair	Hong Kong
EVA Air Cargo	Taipei-Taoyuan
FedEx Express	Anchorage, Beijing-Capital, Guangzhou-Baiyun, Hong Kong, Memphis, Singapore, Shanghai-Pudong, Taipei-Taoyuan, Tokyo-Narita
Korean Air Cargo	Seoul-Incheon
Lufthansa Cargo	Frankfurt, Krasnoyarsk
Nippon Cargo Airlines	Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Hong Kong, Shanghai-Pudong, Seoul-Incheon, Singapore, Tokyo-Narita
Polar Air Cargo	Chicago-Ohare, Shanghai-Pudong
Shanghai Airlines Cargo	Shanghai-Pudong
Singapore Airlines Cargo	Los-Angeles, Singapore
UPS Airlines	Anchorage, Shanghai-Pudong, Shenzhen

Ground transportation

Rail

Haruka, JR West's Kansai Airport Limited Express to Tennōji, Shin-Ōsaka and Kyoto Station.

rapi:t, Nankai Railway's limited express train to Namba Station. One way (for adult) ¥1,390.

Kansai International Airport is connected only by the Sky Gate Bridge R, a road / railroad bridge to Rinku Town and the mainland. The lower railroad level of the bridge is used by two railroad operators: West Japan Railway (JR West) and Nankai Electric Railway.
JR West operates Haruka, the limited express train services for Kansai Airport Station from Tennōji, Shin-Ōsaka and Kyoto Station. JR West also offers "Kansai Airport Rapid" services for Kansai Airport Station from Ōsaka and Kyōbashi Station, as well as several stations on the way. Various connections, such as buses, subways, trams, and other railroads, are available at each station.
Nankai operates rapi:t, a limited express train service to Namba Station on the southern edge of downtown Osaka. Subway connections are available at Namba and Tengachaya Station.
Railroad plans were drawn up in the late 1980s for an underwater railway connecting Kansai Airport to downtown Kobe and Kobe Airport, although the extremely high cost of the project led to its indefinite postponement.

Bus

Kansai Airport Transportation Enterprise^[20] and other bus operators offer scheduled express bus services, called "Airport Limousines", for Kansai International Airport.

Parking

Sky Gate Bridge to the mainland

Two six story parking structures, called P1 and P2, are located above a railroad terminal station, while the other two level parking facilities, called P3 and P4, are situated next to "Aeroplaza", a hotel complex.
The airport is only accessible from the Sky Gate Bridge R, a part of Kansai Airport Expressway. The expressway immediately connects to Hanshin Expressways Route 5, "Wangan Route", and Hanwa Expressway.

Ferry service

In July 2007 a high-speed ferry service (run by Kaijo Access Co.) began operating between Kobe Airport and KIX. The journey takes about thirty minutes.
Previous services to Sumoto on Awaji Island and to Tokushima have been discontinued.

Other facilities

Air traffic control tower

• Central power station (KEPCO energy center, 40,000 kW
• Central heating and cooling plant
• Sewage disposal plant (disposing 20,000 m³ (5,300,000 US gal) per day)
• Incineration plant
• Japan Coast Guard Kansai airport Coast Guard air base
• Japan Coast Guard Special Security Team Base
• Osaka international post office (treating international postal matters about 19,000 tonnes per year)
• Oil tanker berths (three berths) and Fuel Supply center
• Airport access bridge ("The Sky Gate Bridge R")

The longest truss bridge in the world at 3,750 m (12,303 ft). The double-decker bridge consists of a lower deck devoted to rail, with the upper for road.