Incheon Airport Arrival Duty-Free Shop Reopens After 8 Months

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] Incheon International Airport Corporation announced on the 3rd that the duty-free shops at the arrival hall of Incheon International Airport Terminal 1, which had suspended operations for about seven months since the end of October last year, will resume business from 5 a.m. on the 4th.

The Terminal 1 arrival hall duty-free shops had ceased operations since the end of October last year due to the termination of the lease contract with the previous operator, SM Duty Free Co., Ltd., and the corporation has been promoting a bidding process for a new operator.

After evaluating business proposals and pricing, Gyeongbokgung Duty Free Co., Ltd. was selected as the new operator at the end of March, and following the Korea Customs Service’s license review, the final lease contract was signed on the 18th of last month.

The Terminal 1 arrival hall duty-free shops will operate two stores, each approximately 190㎡ in size, located on the east and west sides of the arrival hall of Incheon International Airport Terminal 1, totaling 380㎡. They will handle all product categories including liquor, tobacco, perfumes, cosmetics, and food. By operating the east and west side stores with the same brands, the plan is to minimize passenger inconvenience caused by product concentration.

The reopened Terminal 1 arrival hall duty-free shops will operate 24 hours a day, year-round, but considering the decline in passengers due to the spread of COVID-19, operations will be temporarily shortened from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Operating hours and whether the east and west side stores are open will be flexibly adjusted based on same-day flight schedules and passenger arrivals.

Both domestic and international passengers arriving at Incheon Airport can purchase duty-free goods at the arrival hall duty-free shops. Passengers on the temporarily operated non-landing sightseeing flights due to COVID-19 can also use the arrival hall duty-free shops.

However, for infection control, non-landing sightseeing flight passengers are allowed to use the arrival hall duty-free shops only when there are no other general arriving passengers in the Terminal 1 east side area at the same time.

An official from Incheon International Airport Corporation stated, “We plan to improve passenger convenience by timely responding to the recovery of post-COVID-19 air travel demand and striving for stable operation of the duty-free business rights.”

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