Incheon Airport Passenger Traffic Recovers to 70% of Pre-COVID-19 Levels

24.4 Million International Passengers in the First Half of the Year
69.2% Compared to 35,258,765 in 2019

Incheon International Airport Corporation announced on the 17th that the passenger performance for the first half of this year (based on international flights) was 24,401,190. This represents a recovery rate of 69.2% compared to the first half of 2019 before COVID-19 (35,258,765). The corporation analyzed that the surge in air travel demand was due to the easing of quarantine regulations in various countries, an increase in passengers traveling to Japan and Southeast Asia, the effect of holidays in May and June, and the stabilization of airfares by low-cost carriers (LCCs).

[Image source=Yonhap News]

This figure is a 519.7% increase compared to the passenger performance of 3,937,404 in the first half of last year. Thanks to the increase in air travel demand, on the 25th of last month, the airport recorded the highest number of passengers in a single day since COVID-19, with 171,896 passengers.

By region, Southeast Asia accounted for the largest share with 8,642,800 passengers, representing 35.4% of the total. Japan (5,881,535 passengers, 24.1%), the Americas (2,649,401 passengers, 10.9%), and Northeast Asia (1,996,427 passengers, 8.2%) followed.

China routes accounted for 1,487,823 passengers, making up 6.1% of the total performance. Compared to the first half of 2019 (6,490,698 passengers), it showed a recovery rate of 22.9%, continuously increasing after the second quarter of this year.

[Photo by Incheon International Airport Corporation]

The number of international flights operated in the first half of this year was 147,803. Compared to the same period last year (67,965 flights), this is an increase of 117.5%. It showed a recovery rate of 74.8% compared to the first half of 2019 (197,639 flights). The ratio of passenger planes to cargo planes was 8:2, with a significant increase in the proportion of passenger planes compared to the COVID-19 period, similar to the pre-COVID-19 level of 9:1.

The number of transfer passengers was 3,372,835. Compared to last year's 704,557, this is an increase of 378.7%, showing a recovery rate of 81.1% compared to the first half of 2019 (4,159,074 passengers).

On the other hand, international cargo performance was 1,314,781 tons, a 15.3% decrease compared to last year (1,552,587 tons). It also decreased by 1.5% compared to 2019 (1,334,153 tons). The corporation analyzed that this was due to the impact of international political instability and a decline in exports and imports caused by the global economic downturn.

[Photo by Incheon International Airport Corporation]

The corporation predicts that the annual number of international passengers this year will be approximately 54 million to 57 million (77-81% of 2019). For cargo, it is expected to reach about 2.72 million to 2.94 million tons.

Lee Hak-jae, President of Incheon International Airport Corporation, said, “As overseas travel demand is expected to continue to increase in the second half of the year, including the peak summer season, we will provide safer and more convenient airport services to the public by thoroughly inspecting airport facilities and services overall.”

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