{
  "id": 10154726,
  "title": "Kansai airport eyes more int'l flights, resume India, Indonesia routes",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/kansai-airport-eyes-more-intl-flights-resume-india-indonesia-routes",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-27T06:00:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Mainichi",
    "slug": "the-mainichi",
    "url": "https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20260927/p2g/00m/0bu/016000c"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Kansai International Airport in western Japan is looking to expand its international flight routes, according to the head of the operator. Yasuaki Mikami, the representative director and CEO of Kansai Airports, revealed that discussions are underway with airlines regarding the resumption of flights connecting the airport with India and Indonesia. This comes as the routes between Kansai airport, one of Japan's busiest transportation hubs, and the two Asian nations have been gradually suspended since 2019. Mikami explained that there is strong demand from companies in the Kansai region, particularly in Osaka Prefecture, seeking to utilize the airport for business travel to India and Indonesia rather than via Haneda Airport in Tokyo, another major hub serving both domestic and international flights. The CEO noted that flying from Kansai airport is shorter in both time and distance compared to Haneda, but did not provide a specific timeline for the resumption of the flights. Additionally, Mikami expressed interest in attracting flights from the Midwest and East Coast of the United States. Despite the decline in travelers from China due to strained Japan-China relations, Mikami emphasized the importance of maintaining a balanced distribution of flights across various countries. To accommodate the rise in e-commerce-related cargo, the airport plans to increase capital investment in its cargo area and prepare a new cargo inspection facility. In June, Kansai International Airport completed a major renovation of its Terminal 1, which has led to passengers spending more time at the airport and an increase in duty-free shop sales by 10 percent. Meanwhile, the operator aims to launch international scheduled flights at Kobe Airport near Osaka by 2030. Mikami also expressed hope that the airport would establish routes to South Korea, Taiwan, and other Asian destinations with which it has experience through charter flights.",
  "summary": "OSAKA (Kyodo) -- Kansai airport in western Japan aims to expand its international routes, the head of the operator has said, revealing that discussion",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "Indonesia eyes China for massive 2,772km railway project – with caution",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/indonesia-eyes-china-for-massive-2-772km-railway-project-with-caution",
        "published": "2026-09-27T02:00:07.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}