Seoul Gangseo-gu Requests Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to Expedite Easing of Airport Height Restrictions

Petition Delivered Along with a Signature Book Containing Signatures of Over 66,000 Residents

The promotion committee delivering the signed petition to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

On the 5th, Gangseo-gu, Seoul submitted a petition signed by residents urging the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to ease the 'airport height restrictions' that have hindered regional development for decades.

At 2 p.m. that day, the district visited the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport along with the 'Gangseo-gu Airport Height Restriction Easing Promotion Committee' to deliver the petition containing signatures from over 66,000 residents, along with a proposal reflecting the wishes of 570,000 Gangseo-gu citizens for the easing of height restrictions.

Due to the presence of Gimpo International Airport in the area, 97.3% (40.3㎢) of the total area has been subject to height restrictions, resulting in various regulations. This has limited regional development and severely infringed upon residents' property rights.

Although the amendment of the Aviation Act (currently the Airport Facilities Act) in 2015 established an institutional foundation for 'easing airport height restrictions,' the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport currently maintains the position that the system will be implemented after the revision of international standards by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

In response, the Gangseo-gu Airport Height Restriction Easing Promotion Committee, in solidarity with local governments around Gimpo International Airport, conducted a resident signature campaign for two months starting in April, urging the prompt implementation of easing airport height restrictions. They collected signatures from a total of over 66,000 residents and delivered the petition to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on this day.

The proposal includes ▲ the prompt implementation of an aeronautical review system through the establishment of a notification, which has not yet been legislated under domestic law ▲ promotion of easing height restrictions considering obstacles around Gimpo International Airport ▲ adherence to the schedule for revising international standards by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

The chairman of the Gangseo-gu Airport Height Restriction Easing Promotion Committee said, “According to the ICAO’s recommended international standards, the respective country reviews flight safety and eases height restrictions. There are precedents in countries like the United States where height restrictions were eased through aeronautical reviews,” and added, “For the early realization of easing height restrictions, which is the wish of 570,000 Gangseo-gu citizens, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport must take active measures.”

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