ATRS World Conference 2023 in Kobe, Japan

Greetings

Anming Zhang
President, ATRS
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Dear colleagues and friends,

I hope you are doing well! As we had just completed successfully our (hybrid of in-person and online) 25th ATRS World Conference in late August, we look forward to meeting you at the 26th ATRS World Conference July 1-4 2023, Kobe, Japan. Hopefully, this time we can meet in person in the historic city of Kobe. Our Japanese colleagues have already started preparation work, despite these difficult and uncertain times.

I would like to thank the Kobe conference organizers, especially co-Chairs Mikio Takebayashi and Shinya Hanaoka, for their excellent preparation work so far. We all hope that you attend the conference in Kobe where you can exchange research results and ideas, and renew old acquaintances and meet new friends.

Kizo Hisamoto
the Mayor of Kobe
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Kobe enjoys excellent access to an extensive land, sea and air transportation network. Over the years, the city has developed into a major transportation hub, currently boasting an active airport in addition to one of the largest seaports in all of Japan. With the beautiful Seto Inland Sea in the south, and lush green Rokko Mountains in the north, our city is also blessed with many natural resources, and the countryside in the northern part of the city is just a short drive away from the city center. In addition, ever since the Port of Kobe was opened to foreign trade in 1868, our city has always enjoyed the presence of a large foreign community, which helped us develop our diverse international character.

Now, I am delighted to tell you that it has recently been decided that Kobe Airport will start serving international flights in the future. This is something that we were all hoping for ever since it was constructed, and I believe it will be the next step for our airport, further promoting the development of our city and the greater Kansai region.

It is my understanding that the participants of the 26th ATRS World Congress will not only present their research in the field of air transportation, but also discuss ways to link maritime and air transportation networks with other sectors, using the unique characteristics of our city. I look forward to hearing your active discussions, and I hope that this congress will prove very fruitful to everyone in attendance.

I look forward to meeting you all in Kobe.

Mikio Takebayashi
Chair of ATRS Kobe Local Organizing Committee / Kobe University
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On behalf of the Local Organizing Committee, it is with great pleasure for us to host the 26th World Conference of the Air Transport Research Society in Kobe. The air transport industry spent a hard time during the COVID-19 crisis and it is still on the way to the recovery. We strongly believe that the air transport industry will recover its vitality and become more active. At this time, holding a conference in Kobe would be meaningful. We have another big news after COVID-19 crisis. Internationalization of Kobe Airport by 2030 is formally accepted. This is also historically meaningful for Kobe.

Kobe has been acting as a gateway city for international trade for a long time. On the other hand, Kobe is now known as a “City of Phoenix.” Kobe was hit by the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995 and most of the southern area in Kobe was destroyed. However, Kobe has been completely recovered and becomes more vital than ever. Now, Kansai area including Kobe has a big potential to be a showcase of new transport system. Kansai has multiple airports, multiple ports, and sophisticated surface transport services such as high-speed rail. The concept of ATRS 2023 in Kobe is “Integration of Air Transport and Others-air, sea and beyond” which will be a new trend after COVID-19 disaster. “Integration” will be a keyword for not only industries but also good research and exploration.

We would like to appreciate the members of local organizing committee and local staff. We express our sincere gratitude to the sponsors who have given various supports under the hard situation. Their contributions enable us to hold this big and unforgettable event. Thank you very much.

We hope all of participants will enjoy the conference and your stay in Kobe.