Incheon International Airport 20th Anniversary of Opening... "Rebounding as a Global Gateway"

Construction started in November 1992, opened on March 29, 2001
Ranked 3rd in global international cargo and 5th in international passengers in 2019
Prime Minister Jeong Sye-gyun: "We will not spare policy support"

Incheon International Airport Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] Incheon International Airport held a commemorative ceremony to mark its 20th anniversary since opening.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Incheon International Airport Corporation announced on the 29th that Incheon International Airport, which opened on March 29, 2001, held a commemorative ceremony to celebrate its 20th anniversary on the same day.

The ceremony held at the Millennium Hall of Terminal 1 was attended by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, Jin Sun-mi, Chairperson of the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Byeon Chang-heum, the first president Kang Dong-seok (former Minister of Construction and Transportation), and Incheon Mayor Park Nam-chun.

Incheon International Airport began construction in November 1992 and opened on March 29, 2001. Since then, it has undergone expansion projects in phases: Phase 2 from 2002 to 2008, Phase 3 from 2009 to 2017, and is currently carrying out Phase 4 expansion from 2017 to 2024.

Since its opening, Incheon International Airport has been the only gateway airport in Korea, connecting 255 routes to 73 countries and serving over 100 airlines. As of 2019, it achieved remarkable results as the world's 3rd largest international cargo airport (2.66 million tons annually) and the 5th largest international passenger airport (70 million passengers annually).

(Data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)

In the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) awards hosted by the Airports Council International (ACI), it was ranked first for 12 consecutive years (2005?2016), recognizing its world-class airport operation capabilities and expertise.

Additionally, it has recorded net profits since 2004 and contributed to national finances by paying approximately 1.86 trillion KRW in government dividends over five years from 2015 to 2019 (total cumulative dividends of 2.58 trillion KRW).

Even amid the global crisis caused by COVID-19 last year, it actively supported government-wide measures such as a 1.2 trillion KRW reduction and deferral of airport facility usage fees to prevent the collapse of the core aviation industry ecosystem.

The government also held the 'Incheon International Airport New Vision 2030+ Proclamation Ceremony' on the same day, pledging to overcome the COVID-19 crisis and revitalize the aviation industry. The vision includes goals to become a people-centered airport, a prestigious airport through cultural networks, and a future airport that innovates paradigms.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said, "Incheon International Airport has grown into a world-class airport in name and reality, realizing the hopes of the people and leading the remarkable growth of Korea's aviation industry," and added, "we will spare no policy support to make it the center of transportation and logistics in Northeast Asia and to lead the aviation industry's leap forward."

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