COVID-19 Changed Domestic Airport Rankings... Jeju > Gimpo > Incheon

Passenger arrivals from Korea restricted by various countries cause Incheon Airport users to drop to 10,000-level numbers

On the 5th, when the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Incheon International Airport Corporation announced the pilot implementation of a 'three-step quarantine network' in the passenger departure process from arrival at Incheon Airport to boarding the aircraft due to the spread of COVID-19, Terminal 1 departure hall at Incheon International Airport was less crowded than usual. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Je-hoon] The novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) has even reshuffled the rankings of domestic international airports. Incheon International Airport, which had firmly held the top spot as the gateway to South Korea, has fallen to third place, while Gimpo and Jeju International Airports, barely maintaining domestic flights, have risen to the 'unwelcome' top ranks.

According to Incheon International Airport Corporation on the 12th, the total number of passengers using Incheon Airport the previous day was provisionally counted at 15,216, a 91.3% decrease compared to the previous year. This figure is only 56% of the number recorded during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak on May 20, 2003, when the airport recorded its lowest passenger count of 26,773. The number of flights also dropped by 74.0% to 285 flights.

On the other hand, Jeju Airport's total passengers the previous day were provisionally counted at 31,320 (domestic flights 31,237, international flights 83), and Gimpo Airport at 26,745 (domestic flights 26,578, international flights 167). The daily passenger usage ranking of South Korean airports has thus reversed to ▲Jeju Airport ▲Gimpo Airport ▲Incheon Airport.

Jeju and Gimpo Airports rose to the top ranks despite a 60-70% decrease in passenger numbers because Incheon Airport was heavily affected by the suspension of many international routes due to countries' entry restrictions following the spread of COVID-19. Meanwhile, Jeju and Gimpo Airports have maintained basic demand despite the adverse effect of reduced domestic flights. In fact, Jeju and Gimpo Airports operated only 2 international flights each the previous day, but domestic flights numbered 191 and 145 respectively. This is about 80% of the domestic flight level compared to January 20 (Monday), when the first COVID-19 case was confirmed.

In contrast, Incheon Airport, which has no domestic flights except for international transfer flights, has no choice but to endure the sharp decline in demand caused by COVID-19. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as of 11 p.m. the previous day, a total of 119 countries and regions have strengthened controls (entry bans, quarantine measures, etc.) on arrivals from Korea.

An aviation industry official said, "Low-cost carriers (LCCs) without long-haul routes have no choice but to focus on domestic flights, so although fares at regional airports are not as good as before, the number of flights seems to be maintained to some extent," adding, "Incheon Airport will continue to face difficulties until the COVID-19 situation is resolved."

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