Airport Related Emissions and their Impact on Air Quality at a Major Japanese Airport: The Case of Kansai International Airport

The objective of this study was to investigate the carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions of an airport, to determine if strategies are helping to achieve sustainability targets. Kansai International Airport was selected as the case study, and it is Japan’s third largest airport and there was readily available comprehensive data to enable a study to be undertaken. The airport has a dedicated environmental division and has implemented various initiatives over the past decade or so to reduce the airport’s impact on the surrounding environment, especially since it is in Osaka Bay. The research used an exploratory design, with an initial qualitative case study, followed by a quantitative longitudinal study, utilizing correlation to assess trends over time. Results showed statistically significant reductions in carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission from the three facets of airport operations, both in terms of the number of passengers and number of aircraft serviced by the airport. As a result, the initiatives undertaken at Kansai International Airport could be adapted and used by other airports to help reduce their carbon dioxide emissions.