Gimhae Airport International Terminal Expansion to Fully Open on the 26th... Busan City 'Welcomes'

5 Years of Construction Completed and Opened, International Flight Capacity Increased from 6.3 Million to 11.56 Million Annually

Expectations Rise for Increased Southern Region International Passenger Capacity Before Gadeokdo New Airport Opening

Busan City expressed its welcome for the full-scale opening of the Gimhae Airport International Terminal Expansion on the 26th, following five years of construction.

Busan City Hall.

Gimhae Airport expanded its international passenger terminal in 2016, but before the outbreak of COVID-19, in 2018 and 2019, the number of international passengers exceeded 10 million, the only regional airport to do so, resulting in insufficient capacity and significant inconvenience for many residents of the southern region when using the airport.

With the expansion of the international terminal, the international passenger capacity will increase from 6.3 million to 8.3 million annually, and according to service level standards, it will be able to accommodate up to 11.56 million passengers.

Additionally, a new arrival hall has been established on the first floor of the expanded terminal, adding 11 immigration inspection counters and 2 baggage claim belts. Therefore, congestion at the arrival hall during the morning peak hours (6 to 9 a.m.) is expected to improve significantly.

With the opening of the Gimhae Airport International Terminal Expansion, the city expects a significant improvement in the capacity to accommodate international passengers in the southern region until the opening of Gadeokdo New Airport.

Following the opening of the Gimhae Airport International Terminal Expansion, the Korea Airports Corporation will hold a commemorative event at 10:30 a.m. on the 24th at the international departure hall of Gimhae Airport.

About 50 people, including Mayor Park Hyung-jun, Acting President Lee Jeong-gi of Korea Airports Corporation, local members of the National Assembly, and key officials from airport-related organizations, will attend to celebrate the opening.

The city is doing its best to secure designated transportation rights for Busan to open various air routes. With the additional international passenger capacity secured through this terminal expansion, Busan plans to accelerate the establishment of various medium- and long-distance international routes departing from Busan to strengthen Gimhae Airport’s status as an international gateway airport and to restore international passenger numbers to the previous level of 10 million.

Since the government additionally secured transportation rights to Indonesia (Jakarta, Bali) in February this year, the city is focusing all administrative efforts on launching regular flights departing from Busan.

Furthermore, the city is working to expand the air network by consulting with domestic and international airlines and gathering expert opinions on expanding financial support for the establishment of direct routes to Europe and North America.

Mayor Park Hyung-jun stated, “We are actively cooperating with related organizations such as Korea Airports Corporation to quickly establish a system that can smoothly handle the planned capacity of the Gimhae Airport International Terminal Expansion,” and added, “To help Busan leap forward as a global hub city, we will strengthen the global air network and maintain organic cooperation with related organizations such as airports and airlines.”

In particular, Mayor Park emphasized, “We will spare no support to work together with the local community to sustain the regional base airline and help it grow into a mid-sized airline in the Asia-Pacific region.”