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The government of Japan has started a market sounding exercise to select a qualified private firm to run the Fukuoka airport through a concession contract. 

We had already informed in January 2015 about the intentions of the Japanese government to carry out the soft privatization of the airport. 

Japan plans to use funds from the transaction to develop a a second runway. The project involves the construction of a 2.5 km runway west of the current 2.8 km runway and establish such facilities as a landing area and a guide path. 

The government also aims to ease congestion at the airport and increase the number of visitors from overseas.

The runway project total investment is estimated at ¥180 billion (US$1.52 billion). According to sources, ¥120 billion (US$1.01 billion) of them are expected to be raised by selling the operation rights of the airport.

According to the same sources, Japan is proposing a 30-35 year concession contract to run the airport.

Fukuoka Airport, which reached 6.33 million passenger in fiscal 2014, is the nation's third-largest number of passengers. 

This potential tender process is framed within a wave of airport privatizations promoted by the Japanese government. As we reported in early March, ORIX Corporation - VINCI Airports consortium closed financing for the 44-year concession of Kansai International Airport and Osaka International Airport.

In September 2015 we informed that Japan selected a team made up general contractor Maeda Corporation and railway operator Tokyu Corporation as the preferred bidder for the rights to operate and improve facilities at Sendai Airport, which is Japan's 10th busiest airport.