Sojitz Corporation’s two Japanese airports at Kumamoto and Shimojishima have seen significant recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The company is also expecting to add another airport project to its portfolio if it secures the operation and maintenance (O&M) work of the 3rd terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) serving the capital city of Dhaka in Bangladesh.

At Kumamoto Airport, passenger traffic for the year 2023 is expected to reach 3.2 million, which is higher than the 3 million passengers recorded in 2019.

According to Kumamoto prefecture, the number of passengers on domestic flights at Kumamoto Airport between April and October 2023 was 1,777,937. This was an increase of 31.9% compared to the same period last year. On the other hand, there were 77,184 people on international flights between April and October 2023.

Kyushu Kumamoto International Airport Co., Ltd Financial Performance

@Kyushu Kumamoto International Airport Co., Ltd. Financial Reports

At JPY2.7bn, Kumamoto Airport saw a significant year-on-year improvement in its turnover by 68.9% for six months ended September 2023.  Its gross profit also saw a 65.8% increase compared to the same period in 2022. However, Kumamoto Airport continued to make a loss, though its loss for the six months ended September 2023 had seen a reduction from JPY325.9mn to JPY 91.9mn.

At Shimojishima Airport, the cumulative number of passengers using the opening of the new passenger terminal has continued to increase, reaching 500,000 by May of 2022, three years after it opened, and on 22 August 2023, it exceeded 1 million.