"No Customers" Lotte Duty Free Temporarily Closes Gimpo Airport Store

Flights at Gimpo Airport Plummet to 1-2 per Day

Virtually No Duty-Free Shop Customers

On the 10th, the international terminal of Gimpo International Airport in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, is quiet due to the impact of COVID-19. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-sun] Lotte Duty Free announced that the store it operates in the international terminal of Gimpo International Airport will temporarily close starting from the 12th. The reopening schedule is undecided.

This decision comes as a result of the sharp decline in flights and passengers at Gimpo Airport due to the global spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and the subsequent entry restrictions imposed by various countries. In particular, the entry restrictions between Korea and Japan, which took effect on the 9th, have made the situation even more difficult for businesses operating at Gimpo Airport. Gimpo International Airport only operates short-haul round-trip routes to Japan, China, Taiwan, and other nearby countries. The number of daily flights, which was 24 on average in January, drastically dropped to 1-2 flights per day since the entry restrictions between Korea and Japan were implemented on the 9th. If there are no passengers, even these flights may be canceled.

Given these circumstances, the duty-free shops at Gimpo Airport are virtually in a state of suspended operation. Small and medium-sized brand companies operating stores at Lotte Duty Free Gimpo Airport are also requesting temporary closure.

Lotte Duty Free explained, "After comprehensively reviewing the situation and consulting with Korea Airports Corporation, we decided to temporarily close starting from the 12th. The reopening schedule will be determined later based on the status of Gimpo Airport flights and passenger numbers."

Additionally, Lotte Duty Free has shortened the operating hours of five downtown stores nationwide by one more hour, now operating from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM. Last month, Lotte Duty Free had already reduced operating hours by 2-3 hours per store at downtown locations.

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