"Top-Ranked Airport, But Arriving 3 Hours Early Is 'Normal'?"...Record Crowds Yet Another Departure Chaos [Incheon Airport, The Naked Truth Behind World No.1] ①

Security Staff Stagnant... Passenger Volume and Departure Times Keep Growing
Security Workforce Subsidiary Reviewing Consulting on Staff Expansion

Ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday period, Incheon International Airport Corporation asked passengers to "arrive at the airport at least three hours before departure." Incheon Airport once built its reputation on boasting the "world's fastest immigration procedures," but arriving three hours early has now become an undeniable part of everyday travel for passengers.

Arrival queue at Incheon Airport Terminal 2 at 5 p.m. on January 16. Photo courtesy of a reader.

The so-called "Incheon Airport chaos" is repeated every year during national holidays and peak vacation seasons. However, the actual increase in security personnel on site has been minimal. While passenger demand has reached an all-time high since the airport opened, the number of security screening staff has instead declined, prompting calls for urgent, fundamental countermeasures.

According to Incheon International Airport Corporation on the 26th, the total number of passengers using Incheon Airport last year reached 74,071,475, the highest figure since its opening. However, the increase in security screening personnel needed to support this demand has fallen short.

In reality, the number of security screening staff increased only 11.8%, from 1,791 in 2020 to 2,031 this year. During the same period, the authorized headcount for security screening personnel rose just 5%, from 1,928 to 2,043. Although passenger numbers have surged explosively since 2020, when they hit bottom due to COVID-19, as of January this year the number of security staff actually decreased by 12 compared to the end of last year, further increasing the burden on the ground.

The staff shortage is directly translating into inconvenience for passengers. According to data that the office of Democratic Party lawmaker Jung Ilyoung received from Incheon Airport, the time required for departure has been increasing every year.

During the Chuseok holiday in 2020, the departure processing time at Terminal 1 (T1) was 39 minutes and 8 seconds, but by last year's Chuseok it had surged 45% to 56 minutes and 48 seconds. This means passengers visiting the airport now have to wait significantly longer than before to get through security screening.

The problem is not limited to departures; delays in arrivals for Korean nationals have also become an issue. Since January, Asiana Airlines moved from Terminal 1 (T1) to Terminal 2 (T2), further increasing congestion at T2. Mr. Kang (27), who entered Korea two days after Asiana Airlines relocated to T2, said, "I travel abroad four to five times a year, and this was the first time that arrival at T2 took so long," adding, "Koreans use automated immigration, so I always felt bad seeing foreigners standing in long lines, but this time both foreigners and Koreans had to wait a long time all the same."

Incheon Airport is trying to ease congestion by introducing special holiday measures and IT solutions such as the "Smart Pass." However, on-site staff point out that any measure without an expansion of manpower is only a temporary fix, and that with Incheon Airport soon to enter the era of handling 100 million passengers annually, comprehensive measures must be put in place quickly.

In fact, Incheon Airport Security, a subsidiary responsible for managing Incheon Airport's security workforce, has been confirmed to be reviewing the introduction of external expert consulting to expand staffing. A representative of Incheon Airport Security said, "This is to comprehensively analyze factors such as passenger growth trends and congestion by time of day," and explained, "To increase staffing, we need to amend our contract with Incheon Airport, so if necessary in the future, we will proceed after consultations."