Man-Made Island Airport, Japan

The number of international passengers and the volume of freight passing through Japan have more than doubled in the past 10 years. Even greater increases are projected for the future. It is estimated that both passenger and freight traffic in Japan will double the 1989 levels by the year 2000. The nation's airport capacity, however, has not been developed sufficiently to meet this demand. In the summer of 1994, a major new international airport will open 5 km offshore in Osaka Bay. The Kansai International Airport (KIA) will make Osaka an international and domestic air traffic hub. Its offshore location will permit Japan's first round-the-clock airport with operations unrestricted by problems of noise pollution.