Preventing Entry Restrictions... Incheon Airport Implements Three Temperature Checks Before Departure

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Incheon International Airport Corporation announced on the 5th that they will introduce a three-stage quarantine system covering all stages of passenger departure processes from arrival at Incheon Airport to boarding the aircraft starting from the 5th.

This measure comes in response to the expansion of entry restrictions on Koreans due to the domestic spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The plan, decided at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on the 5th, will be piloted on the 5th and then fully implemented from the 9th after consultations with related agencies.

From the 5th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will conduct fever checks using thermal cameras and thermometers in three stages for passengers departing through Incheon Airport: terminal entry → departure floor area → boarding gate.

In the first stage at terminal entry and the second stage at the departure floor area, thermal cameras will be used to check for fever, and if a fever of 37.5℃ or higher is detected, individual checks will be conducted using non-contact thermometers. If a fever is detected at the first stage, passengers will be guided to undergo a basic epidemiological investigation at the quarantine inspection room installed within the airport. At the second stage, for routes where the counterpart countries have requested entry restrictions on febrile passengers, the airline will be notified to allow ticket cancellations.

At the third stage, the boarding gate, airlines will conduct fever checks using non-contact thermometers for departing passengers to countries such as China, the United States, and the UAE. At this stage, boarding may be denied if a fever is detected.

Kim Sang-do, Director of the Aviation Policy Office at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "By establishing a thorough quarantine system from airport arrival to departure, we expect to provide safe aviation services to domestic and international passengers and greatly contribute to promoting the safety and reliability of our country's airports to the international community." He added, "The pre-departure fever check is intended to continuously secure the convenience of our citizens' air travel to foreign countries such as the United States, so it may take some time. We ask passengers to arrive at the airport earlier than usual."

On the 4th, disinfection company staff are disinfecting a Korean Air passenger plane bound for New York at the Korean Air aircraft maintenance hangar at Incheon International Airport. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.