Assemblyman Heo Jong-sik Opposes and Refutes Amendment to Incheon Airport Corporation Act by Gyeongnam Provincial Council

Incheon 'Minhanggi' and Gyeongnam Sacheon 'Military Aircraft' Two-Track MRO Promotion Raised
Gyeongnam Provincial Council Claims "Budget Waste Due to Duplicate Investment, Amendment Rejected"

Democratic Party of Korea Congressman Heo Jong-sik

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Recently, a National Assembly member from Incheon strongly rebutted the Gyeongsangnam-do Provincial Council's adoption of a government recommendation opposing the amendment to the Incheon International Airport Corporation Act.

On the 30th, Democratic Party lawmaker Heo Jongsik (Incheon Dong-gu Michuhol-gu Gap) stated, "The recommendation adopted by the Gyeongnam Provincial Council significantly undermines the competitiveness of South Korea's aviation industry," and argued, "Incheon should focus on 'civil aircraft,' while Sacheon in Gyeongnam should specialize in 'military aircraft,' pursuing the aviation MRO business through a two-track approach."

According to Heo's office, the Gyeongnam Provincial Council recently adopted a resolution at the plenary session titled 'Opposition to the Amendment of the Incheon International Airport Corporation Act for the Early Settlement of Sacheon Aviation MRO Business and Balanced National Development.'

The council sent official letters to the Chief Presidential Secretary, the Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the Ministers of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Strategy and Finance, as well as National Assembly members from both Gyeongnam and Incheon regions to ensure the recommendation is reflected.

The recommendation states, "If the amendment to the Incheon International Airport Corporation Act passes, it will result in massive budget waste due to overlapping investments in national core infrastructure projects, and unnecessary competition and conflicts between local governments are expected; therefore, it should be rejected by the National Assembly."

In response, Heo emphasized, "It is reasonable to promote the aviation MRO industry through a 'two-track' system, with Incheon specializing in civil aircraft and Sacheon in Gyeongnam focusing on military aircraft," adding, "Incheon and Sacheon should establish a win-win cooperation plan rather than compete."

According to Heo, the domestic MRO market (civil) is valued at 2.6 trillion KRW annually (based on 2018), but due to the underdevelopment of the domestic MRO industry, about 54% of the total volume is outsourced overseas.

Meanwhile, abnormal flight operations such as delays and cancellations caused by insufficient aircraft maintenance at Incheon Airport have been increasing, with 5,141 cases over the past five years (2015?2019), 7,977 cases over the past ten years (2010?2019), and 11,324 cases since the airport's opening (2001?2019).

Additionally, among the global top 10 gateway airports for international passenger handling, Incheon Airport (ranked 5th worldwide) is the only one without an aviation maintenance (MRO) cluster.

Heo stated, "The development of an MRO cluster within Incheon Airport is an essential support facility for aviation safety and cannot be considered a wasteful budget or overlapping investment."

He added, "Providing integrated one-stop MRO services for flight safety at Incheon Airport, while Sacheon focuses on military aircraft and long-term maintenance, will revitalize the domestic MRO industry," emphasizing, "Efficient role-sharing between local governments is necessary by considering technology (certification), accessibility (location), and marketing (demand)."

Heo explained, "Countries like Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Singapore also divide roles between national gateway airports and regional airports regarding the MRO industry among local governments."

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