Kansai Airport, which is currently undergoing the first large-scale renovation work at Kansai International Airport since its opening, will open its new international departure area (immigration checkpoint, boarding gates, and commercial area) on December 5.
The first large-scale renovation of Terminal 1 since the opening of the port is scheduled to last until 2026 and will be carried out in four phases, with the domestic flight area opening in October 2022 as Phase 1, and the new international departure area opening as Phase 2.
The main attraction is KIX DUTY FREE, one of the largest walk-through duty free stores at an international airport in Japan, with an area of approximately 2,500 m2, located on the flow line leading past passport control to the boarding gates. The store is divided into four categories: perfumes and cosmetics, liquor, cigarettes, and confectionery, each zoned according to a different concept.
The store carries 341 brands, including long-established Japanese sake brewers and brands that are making their first appearance in airport duty free stores in Japan. Prior to the opening on December 5, the airport duty free store’s pre-booking site was renewed on November 21, with four languages available. The site offers a wider range of brands, online-only discounts, and other sales and campaign information.
The renovation of the international departure area will also significantly change the flow line after departure. In Phase 1 last fall, the domestic flight area was relocated to the south. The international departure lines will be consolidated in the center of the terminal building, where the domestic arrival lines were originally located, with the main facilities on the 2nd floor for domestic flights and the 4th floor for international flights, as before, but the flow lines within the restricted area after international flight security checks will change significantly.
The two immigration checkpoints, one in the north and one in the south, have been consolidated in the center. Although the number of manned screening booths and face recognition gates remain the same, the white floor and ceiling and wood-grained counters have been transformed into a brighter and warmer space.
The flow line from the 3rd floor passport control is concentrated in one place, and from there you go down to the 2nd floor to the walk-through duty free store area mentioned above. After passing through the duty free store area, the symbolic “PLAZA” area, which pays homage to Japanese architecture and symbolizes KIX, is revealed.
Centered on the PLAZA, there are four zones named “4MOOD,” each with a different presentation. When the construction is completed in 2026, the area is expected to be extended further north and south, reaching a total area of 16,000 m2.
Two of the four phases of the large-scale renovation work have now been completed, and approximately 70% of the work has been completed with the relocation of the Phase 1 domestic flight area, which involved particularly extensive work, and the completion of the new departure area.
In Phase 3, the international security checkpoints will be consolidated and expanded, and the international immigration area will be relocated, completing three of the four phases related to the main functions of the airport terminal. The grand opening is scheduled for the spring of 2025, before the opening of the Kansai-Osaka Expo.
The entire large-scale renovation process is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2026, when Phase 4, the new international departure area north-south commercial expansion, is scheduled to be completed.
© Source travel watch