Incheon Airport, 22nd Anniversary of Opening... "Growth as a Global Hub Airport"

Commemorative Ceremony Held on the 29th at Incheon Airport Terminal 1
"As of 2019, Flights to 173 Cities in 52 Countries"

Incheon International Airport, which opened on March 29, 2001, celebrated its 22nd anniversary this year.

Incheon International Airport Corporation announced on the 28th that it will hold the ‘22nd Anniversary Ceremony of Incheon Airport Opening’ at 3 p.m. on the 29th in the Millennium Hall on the first floor of Terminal 1 at Incheon Airport.

About 100 people, including Kim Kyung-wook, President of Incheon International Airport Corporation, as well as officials from the corporation and its subsidiaries, resident airport organizations, airlines, and logistics companies, are expected to attend the event. The ceremony will review the major achievements since the opening of Incheon Airport in 2001 and reaffirm the commitment to a new leap forward. Awards will also be presented to 50 individuals who contributed to the successful operation of Incheon Airport.

Incheon Airport was successfully opened on March 29, 2001, after a construction period of 8 years and 4 months following the groundbreaking ceremony in November 1992. As of 2019, Incheon Airport serves 88 airlines and connects to 173 cities in 52 countries. It ranked 5th worldwide in international passengers (2019) and 2nd worldwide in international cargo (2021).

In just 22 years since its opening, it has grown into a global hub airport. It has also ranked first for 12 consecutive years in the ‘Airport Service Quality (ASQ)’ survey conducted by the Airports Council International (ACI). In the newly introduced ‘Customer Experience Certification’ by ACI, it was the first airport in the world to achieve the 5-level certification, earning the title of a ‘5-star airport.’

Based on this excellent airport operation know-how, the corporation has secured 32 overseas projects in 15 countries, including Poland and Indonesia, worth approximately 752 million USD. It also provides aviation training courses to over 10,000 aviation industry professionals from 150 countries worldwide.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, passenger traffic at Incheon Airport in 2021 dropped by more than 95% compared to 2019. Incheon International Airport Corporation recorded a cumulative deficit of about 1.7 trillion KRW over approximately three years from 2020 to 2022. However, even amid the COVID-19 crisis, the corporation proactively introduced smart quarantine infrastructure.

It became the first airport in the Asia-Pacific region to obtain the ‘ACI Airport Health Accreditation.’ Through a three-year fee reduction measure worth 2.5 trillion KRW, it also led the way in the mutual growth of the aviation industry. Additionally, on the 20th anniversary in 2021, it established a new vision. By securing new growth engines such as winning the Indonesian Batam Airport project?the first domestic overseas airport investment and development project?and attracting global aviation maintenance (MRO) companies, it laid the foundation for strengthening mid- to long-term competitiveness despite the COVID-19 crisis.

Incheon Airport Corporation recently recorded an average daily passenger count of 130,000, about 65% of the pre-COVID-19 level, showing signs of recovery in air travel demand. The corporation plans to fully focus on normalizing airport operations. To this end, it will establish a close cooperative system with the corporation, subsidiaries, airlines, and resident airport organizations. It will strengthen on-site inspections in all passenger contact areas, including ▲airport operations ▲airport security ▲airport facilities.

In particular, as air travel demand recovers, preemptive measures against increasing operational risks are becoming more important. Incheon Airport Corporation plans to enhance safety management by inspecting screening and security personnel operation systems and rechecking various passenger facilities and workplace hazards to ensure passengers can use Incheon Airport with peace of mind. Furthermore, it plans to create differentiated value unique to Incheon Airport through ▲Phase 4 construction projects ▲airport economic zone development ▲cultural and artistic airport initiatives ▲low-carbon and eco-friendly airport operations, leading the competition as a global hub airport in the post-COVID-19 era.

Meanwhile, the corporation is currently promoting the Phase 4 construction project with an investment of about 4.8 trillion KRW. Upon completion of the Phase 4 project in 2024, Incheon Airport’s passenger capacity will increase from the current 77 million to 106 million, securing infrastructure that ranks first in Northeast Asia and among the top three globally. Kim Kyung-wook, President of Incheon International Airport Corporation, said, "We ask for the affectionate interest and support of the government and airport family as Incheon Airport achieves a ‘successful re-leap’ and embarks on a journey to challenge the world and the future."