Incheon Airport tells passengers to arrive 3 hours early as peak travel season arrives

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

With the peak summer travel season around the corner, Incheon International Airport is gearing up for a rush of passengers, warning travelers to arrive 30 minutes to an hour earlier than usual — about three hours before departure — to avoid missing flights. 

Between July 25 and Aug. 10, an estimated 3.87 million travelers are expected to pass through Incheon, averaging 228,000 passengers per day, the Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) said Thursday. That’s a 4 percent jump from the Lunar New Year holiday rush, typically one of Korea’s busiest travel periods. 

To manage the surge, airport authorities will open several security checkpoints earlier than usual. From July 23 to Aug. 4, Terminal 1’s Departure Gates 2 and 4 and Terminal 2’s Gate 2 will begin operating 30 to 60 minutes ahead of schedule. Terminal 2’s Gate 1 will get two new security screening machines, and 67 additional security staff will be deployed.

Other measures include expanding “Smart Pass” fast-track lanes, which are only available for Korean passports, adding self-service bag drop stations and running select airport shops around the clock. Parking management will be more flexible, and late-night bus services will be increased to ease crowding. 

“We will operate the summer peak period with a focus on passenger convenience and safety,” said Lee Hag-jae, CEO of the IIAC. “We are preparing for an era of 100 million annual passengers by advancing digital transformation and expanding our global network.”

Domestic airports, including those serving popular destinations like Jeju Island, are also rolling out special travel plans. The Korea Airports Corporation (KAC) estimates 4.31 million passengers and 24,067 flights will move through local airports over the same period. That averages out to 1,416 flights and 253,000 travelers per day, up slightly from the 1,365 flights and 238,729 travelers in the same period last year.

The busiest days are forecast to be July 25 at Gimpo Airport, July 26 at Gimhae Airport and Aug. 4 at Jeju International Airport.

To cope with the expected surge, KAC will open check-in counters earlier, increase security and ID verification operations and expand staffing at immigration checkpoints. It has also secured 5,910 additional parking spaces and plans to boost on-site personnel by 40, bringing the total to 2,046 staff during the peak season.

“We’ve prepared an emergency safety plan in anticipation of increased passenger traffic during the peak summer travel season,” said Son Jong-ha, head of operations at KAC. “We’ll do our best to ensure travelers experience minimal inconvenience by deploying additional on-site staff.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY PARK YOUNG-WOO [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]