Preparation for Incheon Airport Phase 4 Operation
Passenger Volume Increases to 100 Million, Cargo to 6.3 Million Tons, Flights to 600,000
Also Establishing a Global Art Hub Concept
Incheon International Airport is expanding its scale by widening the second passenger terminal, access roads, and constructing a new runway. Through this, it will be reborn as one of the world's top three airports, serving 106 million passengers annually. The new facilities are expected to be available for use within this year.
On the 18th, Incheon International Airport Corporation explained the status of the 'Incheon Airport Phase 4 Operation Preparation' at a press briefing held at Incheon Airport by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
The Incheon Airport Phase 4 construction project is an expansion project aimed at widening the second passenger terminal, access roads, and constructing the fourth runway. The project has been underway since November 2017 and is scheduled for completion this month. The total project cost amounts to 4.8405 trillion KRW. It can be seen as the final phase of the four-stage Incheon Airport construction project.
The Incheon Airport construction project is divided into four phases according to the master plan established in 1992. Phases 1 and 2 involved building the first passenger terminal and runways 1 to 3 from June 1992 to June 2008. Phase 3 was the construction of the second passenger terminal and related facilities, carried out from June 2009 to January 2018.
On this day, Bae Seok-ju, Director of the Airport Policy Division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "Incheon Airport, which has been developed over more than 30 years based on a master plan aiming to be the representative hub of Northeast Asia, is now being completed. It will become a mega hub airport ranked third in the world by accommodating 100 million passengers annually."
The corporation plans to develop Incheon Airport into a global mega hub through the Phase 4 project. Once Phase 4 is completed and the new facilities are opened, the annual passenger volume will increase from 77 million based on Phase 3 to 106 million. Flights will increase from 500,000 to 600,000, and cargo volume will rise from 5 million tons to 6.3 million tons. As of August, this will make it the largest airport in Northeast Asia.
They are also promoting a leap toward becoming a global art hub. Director Bae said, "If Incheon Airport traditionally focused only on transportation, it will now develop into an airport that combines culture and art by integrating digital technology and art."
Accordingly, the corporation is creating media art in the immigration area and outdoor gardens at the passenger terminal. The media art consists of 3D-based immersive content such as kinetic sculptures and flying objects. The outdoor gardens include the 'Korean Garden' on the east side, which embodies nature and tradition, and the 'Open Garden' on the west side, which can host performances and events, providing passengers with rest and K-culture experiences.
The Korean Garden on the east side of Terminal 2, being developed as part of the Incheon Airport Phase 4 construction project. [Photo by Seungwook Park]
In addition, they plan to reduce processing times by promoting a digital transformation, including expanding smart passes and self-check-in. Kim Jong-hoon, team leader of the corporation's operation preparation planning team, said, "The processing time, including all procedures, takes about 40 minutes for departure and 30 minutes for arrival. We are coordinating with the Ministry of Justice, customs, and others to unify arrival and quarantine processes for faster arrival procedures, and for departures, we will reduce waiting times by increasing smart check-in."
Meanwhile, at the briefing, Director Bae said, "There are concerns that new airports such as Gadeokdo and Daegu-Gyeongbuk New Airport cannot compete as Incheon Airport continues to expand, but we will keep this issue open for review."
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