Osaka International Airport

Osaka International Airport, often referred to as Itami Airport is the primary regional airport for the Kansai region of Japan, including the major cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe. Classified as a first class airport, it is the airport closest to Kyoto, 36 kilometres southwest of Kyoto Station.

Despite its “international” designation, the airport caters exclusively to domestic flights. Kansai International Airport (43 kilometres away) took over the region’s international traffic in 1994 and competes with Itami for domestic traffic. Itami also faces competition from Kobe Airport (26 kilometres away), a smaller domestic airport opened in 2006.

The airport was named after the city of Itami, Hyōgo Prefecture, because most of its land is located there. A portion of the airport property is also located in Toyonaka and Ikeda cities of Osaka Prefecture. The terminal complex is located in all three of these cities, and the only access from the Itami side is via a long tunnel that passes below the runway and apron.