Newcomers at technical department supporting airports. Real ‘work, workplace and work philosophies’ of three young employees.

I am involved in investment strategy for maintenance and development of the airport. My main tasks are to prepare materials for management review and to facilitate necessary meetings to discuss investment proposals from various departments. The distinctive part of this job is that I can oversee the entire group in a comprehensive and cross-functional view.

I am in charge of the airport facilities projects. My work involves overseeing construction of infrastructure that are essential for airport operations, such as passenger boarding bridges connecting terminal buildings to the aircraft or baggage handling systems. I implement these projects in coordination with various departments, including those specializing in architecture, IT, and electrical engineering.

I belong to Facilities Management Department and am mainly responsible for the maintenance and management of mechanical equipment, such as smoking booths and water heaters, for the purpose of enhancing the comfort of airport environments. I deal with a comprehensive scope of duties, from planning maintenance and drafting specifications for maintenance and inspections to handling procurement procedures and overseeing on-site operations.

Kansai Airport Group has many foreign employees even at its management team, so both Japanese and English are frequently used in materials and meetings related to investment deliberations. I have been wanting to learn English, so I feel this environment gives me good experiences.

Much of the equipment I work with is manufactured overseas and my memorable experience in the first year was traveling to a factory in Singapore to conduct product inspections on passenger boarding bridges. I felt my big responsibilities for safety, and felt that my work supported airport infrastructure.

As Mr. Y mentioned, I feel deeply the direct connection between my work and overall safety and security of the airport on a daily basis as well. I feel a sense of accomplishment when inspections of our mechanical equipment are successfully completed, and seeing the customers utilizing the facilities further motivates me for my job.

Kansai Airport Group is very international. The management team includes many members from France, and there are many different nationals as employees. My team also includes members from overseas.

The backgrounds of Japanese employees are quite diverse as well. I, myself am from Kanto region and before joining the company, I assumed it would be a workplace with people mostly from Kansai area. However, I was surprised to find out that we actually have a diverse employee from all over the country.

As a whole, the company has employees from diverse backgrounds, regardless of gender. Since there is a female senior colleague close to my own age in my group, I feel that it is easy to talk to each other, and I can feel free to reach out for advice.

I am in a large department with over 100 members, with a diverse employee ranging in age from their 20s to 60s. Although it is a male-dominated workplace, we hired new female employees in past recent years, and communication flows actively among us regardless of age or gender. Thanks to the constant support and guidance of my senior coworkers, I am now able to handle tasks, such as placing orders and answering phone calls, with confidence, even though I was initially unfamiliar with them.

You might think that technical workplaces are “craftsman-like”, but I feel that Kansai Airport Group has a wide range of age groups and is filled with friendly people.

Special Facilities Department often collaborates with other divisions such as Architecture, IT, and Electrical Engineering on project basis. This may be leading to increased communication, which would be the key to our open and transparent work environment.

My department gets along very well—both professionally and personally, and we even enjoy doing things together like BBQ and snowboarding. I believe that building such strong relationships outside of work is what makes our workplace such a comfortable environment to work in.

As a benefit, it is attractive that it is easy to utilize our flexible working hours system※, which has no mandatory core time. In my department, everyone works while effectively balancing their professional duties with childcare and personal lives. Also, since our team leader avoids overtime whenever possible, it is easy for the rest of the team to take full advantage of the system.

※Kansai Airport Group has introduced a flex-time system without a core time, with the exception for departments operating on a shift basis.

In addition, employees are encouraged to take five consecutive days of annual paid leave. Working at an airport, many of employees like traveling and go overseas.

I’m planning a trip to Spain too!

That sounds wonderful. I am hoping to go to Taiwan sampling authentic tapioca drinks. We can be motivated to work in an environment where we can truly refresh ourselves.

The investment management role I currently hold may not be glamorous, but it plays an important part in supporting management decision-making. I find it rewarding to contribute to the overall direction of the company, by organizing data to ensure that management deliberations proceed smoothly. The experience I am accumulating in my current position, specifically, the ability to take a bird’s-eye view of the entire group and coordinate with various departments, is a strength that I believe will be able to take advantage of any department in the future.

During my first year, I primarily focused on equipment with a limited number of installations, but going forward, I would like to be involved in maintenance and inspections of major facilities, such as air conditioning systems and elevators, which are utilized by a much larger number of people.

In my role, which handles the entire process from planning to on-site supervision, what I value the most is ensuring careful coordination with all relevant departments in advance. In the future, I will continue to do my best to ensure that our work is completed safely and reliably, while preventing any delays in the project schedule.

The distinctive characteristic of Kansai Airport Group is its responsibility for operation and management of three major airports in Kansai region -Kansai International Airport, Osaka Itami Airport, and Kobe Airport. This allows you to observe airports with distinct environments and operating conditions firsthand, and to gain diverse views.

At Kansai International Airport Terminal 2, I engaged in a project that repurposed and refurbished an existing baggage handling system – an experience where I was able to see a project through to its full completion for the first time. Looking ahead, I would like to acquire the skills necessary to handle every stage of a project seamlessly – from initial planning and construction all the way through to operation.