Bucheon City and Korean Air to Establish 1.2 Trillion Won Future Mobility Hub in Daejang Industrial Complex

Asia's Largest Flight Training Center, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Research Lab and Assembly Plant to Be Built
Tenancy and Land Contracts to Be Signed in the Second Half of the Year... Construction Begins in 2027, Completion in 2030
Mayor Jo Yongik: "Bucheon Will Emerge as a Future Mobility Hub City"

A large-scale future mobility hub will be established in the Bucheon Daejang Urban High-Tech Industrial Complex.

On April 30, the city of Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, signed an agreement with Korean Air at the Bucheon Art Center Small Theater to create an "Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and Aviation Safety Research and Development (R&D) Complex" worth 1.2 trillion won. Representatives from key institutions, including Gyeonggi Province, Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), and Bucheon Urban Corporation, also attended the signing ceremony.

According to the agreement, a 65,845-square-meter (approximately 20,000 pyeong) site within the Bucheon Daejang 2nd Urban High-Tech Industrial Complex will be developed into an aviation R&D and education complex, which will include an unmanned aerial vehicle research lab and assembly plant, a flight training center, and a safety experience center. The site is expected to accommodate around 1,000 people, including employees with master's and doctoral degrees.

The unmanned aerial vehicle research lab and assembly plant will focus on research and development, as well as production, in software and artificial intelligence (AI) to respond to the UAM era. The core objective is to strengthen the system that links on-site operations with research facilities, for example, by immediately applying feedback from the production process to research.

The flight training center will be the largest of its kind in Asia. Currently, domestic low-cost carriers (LCCs) rely on overseas companies for pilot flight simulator training. With the introduction of 30 training devices under this agreement, 21,600 pilots from both domestic and international airlines will be trained annually. Based on this, Bucheon is expected to emerge as a global hub city for aviation pilot education and training.

Jo Yongik, Mayor of Bucheon (center), along with representatives from Korean Air, Gyeonggi Province, Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), and Bucheon Urban Corporation, are posing for a commemorative photo after signing the "Bucheon Daejang Urban High-Tech Industrial Complex Investment and Occupancy Agreement" on the 30th. Bucheon City

A safety experience center will also be established to create a safe and healthy workplace. The center will support safety education for local industries and experiential activities for citizens and students. In addition, the city is considering launching aviation education and career programs in cooperation with educational institutions such as Bucheon Science High School.

The city expects this agreement to revitalize the local economy. The influx of research complex employees and trainees is anticipated to boost local consumption. At the same time, Bucheon plans to leverage the geographical advantages of the Daejang Urban High-Tech Industrial Complex to attract leading large and mid-sized companies in the aerospace and defense sectors, which have recently gained international attention.

This site is adjacent to Gimpo and Incheon airports, providing favorable conditions for export and aviation-related companies. It is also expected to become a quadruple transfer hub with connections to the Daejang-Hongdae Line, GTX-D, Y-branch, and E Line. These factors are considered advantageous for securing top talent and expanding business operations.

To ensure the smooth implementation of this agreement, the city will operate a working-level council for tenant companies starting next month and plans to sign tenancy and land contracts in the second half of this year. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2027, with completion and occupancy targeted for 2030.

Mayor Jo Yongik stated, "Bucheon is regarded as the optimal location for the global aviation industry based on UAM takeoff and landing infrastructure, as it is adjacent to Gimpo and Incheon international airports. We will do our utmost, in cooperation with Korean Air, to transform Bucheon into a future mobility hub city that attracts global attention."