Jeju 2nd Airport 'Eco-friendly' Construction... Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Begins Basic Plan Development

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The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 8th that it has sent the "Jeju Second Airport Development Project Basic Plan (Draft) Report" to Jeju Province and requested opinions on the basic plan.

The area around Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo City, the planned site for Jeju Second Airport construction / Photo provided by Jeju Province

This is a measure to resume the basic plan establishment process following the approval of the strategic environmental impact assessment for the Jeju Second Airport construction project on the 6th. The Ministry explained that it did not set a deadline, considering that a sufficient period is needed to collect residents' opinions.

The basic plan includes provisions to create alternative habitats for birds and other wildlife, minimize carbon emissions, use renewable energy, and comply with the recently completed consultations on the strategic environmental impact assessment by the Ministry of Environment. The plan aims to construct and operate the airport as an eco-friendly facility by preparing measures to minimize environmental impact during the environmental impact assessment stage.

Additionally, the plan will be announced after thoroughly listening to Jeju Province's opinions, and the Jeju Second Airport will be promoted as an "airport created together with the residents," with active local participation in construction and operation. The basic direction regarding the project implementer, airport operator, financing plans, and demand distribution between the existing Jeju Airport and the Second Airportwill be presented first, followed by finalizing the plan through consultation with Jeju Province. This includes returning a portion of airport operating profits to Jeju Province and deciding the role-sharing plan between the first and second airports during the design and construction phases.

The project completion (commissioning) time for the basic plan is set as "5 years after groundbreaking." Future environmental impact assessments, which require Jeju Province's consent, will undergo thorough verification. The Jeju Second Airport is planned to accommodate 19.92 million passengers (and 120,000 tons of cargo) out of the annual air passenger demand of 41.08 million in the Jeju region as of 2055.

A total of 6.6743 trillion KRW will be invested in the Seongsan-eup area of Seogwipo City, Jeju, including one runway (3,200m × 45m), an apron (parking for 44 aircraft), a passenger terminal (167,381㎡), a cargo terminal (6,920㎡), parking lots, and front facilities (transportation center, commercial and cultural facilities, eco-friendly and aviation industry cluster). The total project cost and financing plan will be finalized after consultation with the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

Other matters related to airport development and operation will also be included in the basic plan. Lee Sang-il, Director of Airport Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "If Jeju Province sufficiently collects residents' opinions and presents them to the government regarding the Second Airport basic plan, we will thoroughly review and reflect them. We hope constructive discussions within the local community will be actively conducted to contribute to Jeju Province's balanced and sustainable development."