Kumamoto International Airport Co., Ltd. (Head office: Mashiki-machi, Kamimashiki-gun, Kumamoto Prefecture, CEO: Shohei Niihara) is pleased to announce that a groundbreaking ceremony for a new passenger terminal building was held today, January 1th, at Aso Kumamoto Airport (hereinafter referred to as "the Airport"). The airport is scheduled to open in the spring of 15.

　This airport was damaged in the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, and as part of the "Kumamoto Airport Specific Operation Project, etc." (commonly known as the "Kumamoto Airport Concession"), the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's Civil Aviation Bureau plans to construct a new passenger terminal building as a symbol of creative recovery from the Kumamoto earthquake. Construction has now begun on the new building.

　The new passenger terminal building will be developed as an integrated facility for domestic and international flights, and plans call for the development of commercial facilities and a plaza* that are open to the local community. By developing facilities that can be used not only by passengers but also by local residents, we hope to contribute to an increase in the number of visitors and revitalize the area around the airport.
*The plaza will be developed on the site of the current international terminal building, so construction will begin after the new passenger terminal building opens.