tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5455782214242472677.post4899515693745039205..comments2024-03-14T20:55:21.709+09:00Comments on Janne In Osaka: Kansai Area Airport TroubleJan Morenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06834641501438709866noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5455782214242472677.post-68685703281831778312010-07-19T21:10:13.149+09:002010-07-19T21:10:13.149+09:00I enjoyed this article. Thank you.
Barry LouieI enjoyed this article. Thank you.<br /><br />Barry LouieBarryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03126949141330600695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5455782214242472677.post-81667412225971771692010-04-21T12:43:30.080+09:002010-04-21T12:43:30.080+09:00The problem is in part that some part of the reven...The problem is in part that some part of the revenue from the air transport sector - landing fees, fuel taxes and so on - has long gone to a fund for infrastructure projects. It's one of those ideas about keeping money within the transport sector (instead of being wasted on the sick and poor I guess). Of course, there's a fairness argument to it as well, about giving otherwise weak regions the resources to be a connected part of the country.<br /><br /><br />But that fund has meant that building an airport is much cheaper for a municipality or region than it would otherwise be. And an airport isn't just a runway and a terminal, but a whole set of local infrastructure projects - new industrial zone, improved roads, extended bus lines, perhaps a new rail line - all of which would benefit the local area irrespective of the airport itself, and all of which would generate a number of jobs building, running and maintaining it all. In a way, _not_ building an airport would mean leaving a lot of money and resources on the table, no matter what the demand is for the actual air transport.<br /><br />So an airport isn't so much a pork-barrel project as much as the necessary token piece of a general regional infrastructure upgrade. I would not be surprised if many of those regions would have been happier with just the surrounding projects and not having to build and run the actual airport as a precondition.Jan Morenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06834641501438709866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5455782214242472677.post-91970181406992459692010-04-21T12:12:05.768+09:002010-04-21T12:12:05.768+09:00Good to hear they are making some progress in orga...Good to hear they are making some progress in organising themselves. <br />The number of Japanese airports is amazing. 98 in total I think it is now, with the latest new one opening recently not that far from Narita.<br /><br />What was the point of that ? There are literally two (or three flights at most) a day from it! There's no rail station anywhere near it. <br /><br />A serious 'pork barrel' project if ever there was one. <br /><br />With JAL planning on pulling out of more domestic routes you would expect to see some airports actually close down... But I can't see it happening.Jon Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15589729363368420598noreply@blogger.com