Kansai airport resumes domestic flights after typhoon as international flights remain uncertain
Nineteen flights – two by Japan Airlines and 17 by low-cost carrier Peach Aviation – are scheduled for Friday while other airlines using the airport have yet to resume flights
Domestic flights at Kansai International Airport were resumed on Friday after the main gateway to western Japan was closed following a powerful typhoon earlier this week.
It is still unknown when the airport in suburban Osaka can resume international flights, its operator said, adding it could take a week to return to full operational status.
A total of 19 flights – two by Japan Airlines and 17 by low-cost carrier Peach Aviation – are scheduled for Friday. Other airlines using the airport including All Nippon Airways have yet to resume flights.
One of the two runways is currently in operation as the other was flooded by Typhoon Jebi, which cut across the region on Tuesday.
The bridge that links the airport, which is on an man-made island, to the mainland was also damaged, after a tanker smashed into it after being ripped from its mooring by the strong winds and high waves.
The operator reopened undamaged lanes of the bridge, which provides the only road and rail access to the airport, to designated vehicles including busses operating between the airport and cities in surrounding areas. The train service remains suspended.