The Dhaka Times Desk Everyone should be surprised to hear that the airport is floating in the sea. But the story is true. Just like the airport established in Danga, the floating airport has also been established in the sea.
There are always some new activities happening in the world. An example of such a craft is the Kansai Floating Airport in Japan. In the sixties of the last century, the business conditions of the Kansai province of Japan were not very good. Because they were often losing trade opportunities with other regions of Japan. The only way to solve this problem was to build a big airport. But the problem arose with the place. The great lack of space. First, it was decided that the airport would be built in Kobe. But Kobe residents said they don't need an airport. In such a situation, the authorities took an unimaginable decision without getting anywhere. They decided to build a floating airport on the sea.
Osana is located in the southernmost part of Japan, just off the coast. But the local Dhibars did not agree to give space there too. They said, if there is an airport there, it will be difficult to catch fish. They were eventually persuaded by a hefty compensation. The construction of this airport started in 1987. Building an airport in the sea was not an easy task at all. First the wall was built by throwing stones into the sea. For this, by collecting 21 million cubic stones from three mountains, 10 thousand workers spent one million working hours for about three years and with the help of 80 ships built the land about thirty meters above the sea floor. Gradually it took the shape of an island.
A three kilometer long bridge was then built to connect the island to mainland Rinku. The bridge has six lanes for motor vehicles and two lanes for trains. It cost a million dollars to make. Many people began to predict that the island would begin to sink under the weight of all the goods once construction began. It actually happened. Kansai sank more than expected, about eight meters into the sea. When such a situation many people were afraid. But the authorities are unwilling to give up.
After a lot of calculations, they saw that if the weight of the materials used to make the airport could be lightened, the risk of the island sinking would also decrease. Thinking about this, thin metal plates are used in the terminal. The cost was also increasing. The Japanese government continued to push to reduce the size of the island to reduce costs. But the main architect of the project, Renzo Piano of Italy, refused to accept it, so the work continued without changing the original shape of the island. The four kilometer long and two and a half kilometer wide floating Kansai International Airport was officially opened on September 4, 1994. Since then, 614 international passenger flights, 200 cargo flights and 493 domestic flights take off from this airport every week. This airport can be seen from space. It is the second most expensive airport in the world. A cup of coffee here costs 10 dollars. Then it can be easily guessed, what will be the other expenses!
Fears of the sinking of Kansai Airport have gradually subsided. Statistics show that from 1994 to 2006, its subsidence level decreased from 50 cm to 9 cm. There is almost no danger of the airport sinking completely. So it has been enlarged. Its second runway was scheduled to open in 2007 but has been delayed. The authorities have decided to make it bigger and connect it with the mainland in the future.
About two and a quarter kilometers long. The roof of this terminal is made in such a way that no sea storm can damage it. So far, it has faced two natural disasters without much damage. In 1994, a typhoon with a speed of 200 kilometers per hour swept over the airport. In the catastrophic earthquake of 1995, not a single glass of the airport was broken. But Kansai is only 20 kilometers away from the source of the earthquake. Seeing the success of this airport, in 2001, 'The American Society of Civil Engineers' declared it as 'Civil Engineering Monument of the Millennium'. New Kitakusu, Kobe, Chubu and Hong Kong airports were later built using Kansai Airport's construction techniques.
Note that the terminal of this airport is the longest terminal in the world. Source: Dainik Yugantar.
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