Typhoon Jebi

[sjk]

Some footage:

https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1036893365000921088/pu/vid/360x778/A7w1R1vR_nEkDm0t.mp4

 

[Himeno]

But a full resumption of international flights looks to be quite a while away. Serious talk today (including from the Governor of Osaka, the president of Kansai Airports, and the national transport minister) of finding ways to enable UKB and ITM to take international passengers in the meantime.

Kobe airport has a large limit on flights with a cap of 30 domestic flights per day. Mainly in order to protect KIX, but with KIX limited, the Transport Ministry could temporally lift their cap at UKB. (They wanted to build KIX where UKB is now, but the city government protested then the Federal government backed KIX. Then after the city government saw KIX building, they wanted their own. UKB is based on the KIX stage 1 plans)

ITM is also capped with the local populations and governments not even wanting the airport there after KIX replaced it. There are also no immigration or customs arrangements available at ITM, while there are some at UKB for charters.

I could see them increasing domestic flights to ITM, under protest from the local residents, and allowing short haul international flights to UKB until KIX is fully reopened.

 

[Melburnian1]

One report indicates there was also unspecified damage to the 'fuel facility.' Don't know whether this means storage tanks, a pipeline or something else.

For domestic flights, airlines could probably just fuel elsewhere in many cases. This may be a further reason why international flights are not resuming as quickly.

 

[Himeno]

KIX started limited domestic flights today. 17 Peach passenger flights and 2 JAL cargo flights, using T2 and Runway B (06L/34R). International flights, that use T2, (Peach and Spring) to restart tomorrow.

North side of bridge in use, rail lines expected to be repaired and in use start of next month. No expected opening date for damaged southern road lanes.
Some officials want to send KIX bound cargo flights to NGO or NRT.
Osaka Prefecture government want to extend UKB and ITM hours (currently 0700 to 2100 (ITM) and 2200 (UKB)) by 2 hours (open at 0600, close at 2200/2300) in order to get more flights. Plans for extended use of UKB and ITM expected to be released early next week.
Currently expecting Runway A and parts of T1 to reopen some time next week.

 

[Melburnian1]

KIX started limited domestic flights today.

North side of bridge in use, rail lines expected to be repaired and in use start of next month. No expected opening date for damaged southern road lanes.

Himeno, have they got (say) one lane each way operating on the northern road lanes with the centre lane blocked off to separate the traffic in each direction?

How many inbound flights (i.e. one way) does KIX normally handle on a typical day (that is, not some major holiday)?

 

[Himeno]

Himeno, have they got (say) one lane each way operating on the northern road lanes with the centre lane blocked off to separate the traffic in each direction?

I would assume so. Some sort of both direction traffic arrangement on the northern lanes.

How many inbound flights (i.e. one way) does KIX normally handle on a typical day (that is, not some major holiday)?

They've taken the flight schedule off the airport website. The historical data works out at an average of 507 aircraft movements per day.

 

[Melburnian1]

Himeno, thanks.

Just out of interest, is it slot unavailability that is preventing QF from operating its thrice weekly SYD - KIX flights to say HND? Or are there other reasons?

As far as I can see Skinkansens are running so passengers could easily get to Tokyo and then HND airport by rail from Osaka, or do the reverse journey.

 

[Himeno]

Himeno, thanks.

Just out of interest, is it slot unavailability that is preventing QF from operating its thrice weekly SYD - KIX flights to say HND? Or are there other reasons?

As far as I can see Skinkansens are running so passengers could easily get to Tokyo and then HND airport by rail from Osaka, or do the reverse journey.

Shinkansen to Osaka uses Shin-Osaka station, to the north of the city. Closer to ITM then KIX.
The express train from KIX goes to Nanba station in the south of Osaka, which is then a 30 min subway ride to Shin-Osaka.

From Osaka to HND by high speed train, you'd need to get to Shin-Osaka station (North of the city, and not on the JR Osaka Loop Line) via 1 subway line or other local JR lines. Then get the Tōkaidō Shinkansen to Shinagawa, then change again to the Keikyu Haneda airport line.
Would take at least 2 connections, 2.5-4 hours on Shinkansen (depending on which level of Shinkansen service used) and at least 40 minutes on local lines.

HND can't be used for any more flights to Australia. The AU slots are all limited to the night hours at HND and QF and NH only have 7 each.
Other Japanese international airports can be used for unlimited flights to AU. QF/JQ have the option of shifting their KIX flights to other airports, such as NGO, HIJ, NRT or cough until KIX fully reopens.

 

[Melburnian1]

Shinkansen to Osaka uses Shin-Osaka station, to the north of the city. Closer to ITM then KIX.
The express train from KIX goes to Nanba station in the south of Osaka, which is then a 30 min subway ride to Shin-Osaka...
.

All true, but if the flights were diverted, I daresay most passengers would not need to travel to or from the KIX airport as their departure point for the surface travel, or arrival once they'd got to an airport on QF33 would be Osaka CBD, suburbs or some other Japanese locality.

 

[Himeno]

All true, but if the flights were diverted, I daresay most passengers would not need to travel to or from the KIX airport as their departure point for the surface travel, or arrival once they'd got to an airport on QF33 would be Osaka CBD, suburbs or some other Japanese locality.

If they were transferred to other flights to HND or NRT, they could then get the Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka, then the 20-30 min local rail into the CBD, or a domestic flight to ITM which has no sane rail connection to Osaka. A number of bus options to locations around the city, or a monorail which requires 2 connections to get to the CBD.

 

[jase05]

Was checking out some flights on the BR website yesterday and they are advising KIX to re-open on the 11th

 

[henrus]

Was checking out some flights on the BR website yesterday and they are advising KIX to re-open on the 11th

The airport is actually open now and flights have recommenced however it's terminal 1 that is the problem. They are also only operating with 1 runway as the second one has still got water over it.

Terminal 2 the low-cost budget terminal (basically a shed) is fully operational however the main terminal 1 still needs work due to flooding in the downstairs areas. JAL and ANA have started flights 3-4 per day out of the low-cost terminal but the 11th is the supposed date for the main terminal to reopen (obviously this could change).

 

[Himeno]

I like what the KIX website says about the road access now "Roads Troubled".

Here is a list of the flights operating today https://www.kansai-airport.or.jp/sites/default/files/2018-09/【最終】flight Infromation（0909）.pdf

Only T2 is open at the moment. They need to do some repairs to areas of T1 before it can be made usable. Normally, T2 is only used by Spring and Peach. The other LCCs (ie, Jetstar, Jetstar Japan and Cebu) use T1. T2 is a single story building with 2 gates (1 domestic, 1 international). No air bridges.

They are only allowing public transport buses access to the bridge. The only private cars allowed are those being collected after being left at the airport during the storm and evacuation. They have the normal limousine buses from the city, the bay shuttle boats to/from UKB and a shuttle bus from Rinku Town Station - the joint JR/Nankai station directly before the bridge (the Nankai line spits from the JR line just before Rinku Town Station).

 

[Melburnian1]

The QF website's list of forthcoming flights suggests that QF33/QF34 recommence on Saturday 15 September. That must mean that flight and cabin crew for QF34 have to travel via HND to work 'the 34' back down to SYD.

I haven't checked the JQ website for CNS - KIX flights like JQ15.

 

[Himeno]

They are now expecting that the damaged section of bridge will be removed by Friday, which will then let them access the damaged sections of the rail line. JR and Nankai are currently expecting to have rail service running again by the end of the month.

The major delay in reopening T1 is the power supply. 3 of the 6 transformers in the basement were submerged (as was the airports disaster response center). The loss of power caused the water pumps to fail and caused problems in communicating with the people stranded at the airport during the storm. Once the transformers are repaired and they can get the power back, they can start to reopen T1. They expect this to happen by the end of the week.

 

[Himeno]

It looks like some Jetstar (GK) flights operated to KIX today. No JQ yet.

Damaged section of bridge now being removed

UKB and ITM have agreed to accept additional flights over their normal caps until KIX is back to full operation. +30 for UKB, +40 for ITM. They won't extend their hours though.

 

[magtron]

Seems like international flights will resume partially tomorrow with airlines only receiving limited allocated flights. Not sure when it will take to be back to full operation.

 

[Himeno]

The QF/JQ KIX flights are currently listed as operating for Saturday.

These are the flights planned to operate today https://www.kansai-airport.or.jp/si...12 Flight Information on Sep 13 (English).pdf

 

[Melburnian1]

All in all, given the damage to not just the airport but the railway and the road over the bridge, a very good outcome.

Japanese must be the world's most efficient at civil construction. Great country to visit as well.

 

[magtron]

SQ just updated their list of allocated flights to KIX up till 20 September.
Seems like the allocated flights are for every alternative days.