1.74 Million Use Incheon Airport During Chuseok Golden Holiday, Setting New Record

Average Daily Passengers Reach 217,000, Setting New Chuseok Record
Corporation: "Stable Airport Operations Maintained Through Full-Scale Response to Strike"

During this year's Chuseok golden holiday period, a total of 1.74 million passengers used Incheon International Airport, marking the highest number of travelers ever recorded during a Chuseok holiday.

On the 2nd, ahead of the Chuseok holiday, travelers are lining up for check-in at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1. Photo by Yonhap News

On October 12, Incheon International Airport Corporation announced that from October 2 to October 9, the airport saw an average of 217,613 passengers per day, a 6.4% increase compared to the same period last year (204,480 passengers per day). The total number of passengers was tallied at 1,740,907.

This is the highest figure ever recorded for a Chuseok holiday since the airport opened in 2001, and the second-highest for any holiday period, following this year's Lunar New Year holiday (219,026 passengers per day).

The busiest day was October 8, when 228,846 people used the airport. On the first day of the holiday, October 3, a record 137,390 people departed, while on the last day, October 9, a record 125,826 people arrived, setting new highs for both departures and arrivals.

In terms of departures alone, the number surpassed the previous record set during this year's Lunar New Year holiday (129,550 people), establishing a new all-time high. Approximately 130,000 people also departed on both October 4 and October 5, reflecting consistently high usage.

By region, Southeast Asia routes were the most popular, with 448,081 passengers, followed by Japan with 431,827 passengers and China with 296,168 passengers.

Although workers from the airport's subsidiary responsible for environmental cleaning and facility management were on strike for 11 days during this period, the corporation stated that it operated an emergency response headquarters and deployed substitute personnel, ensuring that airport operations continued without disruption.

Lee Hakjae, President of Incheon International Airport Corporation, said, "I would like to thank all airport staff for their dedicated work, including special shifts and emergency duties, despite the many challenges. We will continue to strive to provide even more convenient airport services for the public."