Nearly 20,000 Tons in 1Q... Incheon Airport "All-Out Effort on E-Commerce Cargo"

Growth in E-commerce Boosts Sea-Air Multimodal Cargo
Up 30% Year-on-Year... Sharp Growth Trend
On-site Inspection of Chinese Local Logistics Center... "Strengthening Incheon Airport's Hub Role"

Incheon Airport is targeting e-commerce cargo as a new growth engine for air freight and is taking measures to strengthen its role as a hub airport. It plans to improve airport facilities and procedures by conducting on-site inspections of all transportation processes and reflecting the opinions of local logistics companies and carriers.

On the 29th, Incheon International Airport Corporation announced that from the 22nd to the 26th, it visited Weihai, China, to conduct an on-site inspection of the entire process of 'sea-air combined transport cargo' being collected in China, passing through various ports, and transported to Incheon Airport, while also gathering feedback from local logistics companies and carriers.

This is in response to the e-commerce industry's growth, which has led sea-air combined transport cargo to break records for the largest volume ever. Incheon Airport's sea-air combined transport cargo volume reached 19,300 tons in the first quarter of this year, marking a 29.6% increase compared to the same period last year. This growth rate is about three times the 10.2% growth rate of the first quarter of 2023, setting a new record. By destination, the majority were long-distance regions such as the Americas (40.6%) and Europe (34.3%). By domestic arrival port, the shares were Gunsan Port (40.0%), Incheon Port (38.8%), and Pyeongtaek Port (20.8%), in that order.

The Weihai visited by the corporation this time is a concentrated international shipping hub (fulfillment center) for e-commerce cargo in China. The corporation visited major e-commerce logistics centers in this area and conducted an on-site inspection of the cargo collection and loading process onto ships. Afterwards, they accompanied the cargo on the ship to Incheon Port the next day to investigate cargo management procedures, the time required after arrival at the port, and the movement routes to Incheon Airport. They also held meetings with major shippers, logistics companies, and shipping lines to listen to suggestions and improvements for attracting additional cargo.

Recently, Amazon, the largest e-commerce company in the United States, has been conducting free shipping promotions targeting Korean consumers, and as e-commerce air cargo in the Asian region is expected to surge, the corporation plans to strengthen overseas marketing activities and institutional improvements so that more e-commerce companies can use Incheon Airport as a logistics hub in Asia.

Lee Hak-jae, President of Incheon International Airport Corporation, said, "As of 2023, the sales generation effect of 'sea-air combined transport cargo' transported worldwide through Incheon Airport on domestic airlines and logistics companies amounts to 520 billion KRW," adding, "Utilizing an air route network that is comparable to any airport in the world, we will lead the globalization of Korea's logistics industry through active cargo attraction."

On the afternoon of the 24th, packaging and label inspection work for cargo is being carried out at the sea-air combined transport cargo exclusive terminal for Incheon Airport at Shidao Port located in Weihai, China. (Photo by Incheon International Airport Corporation)

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