2Q Incheon Airport Maritime and Air Multimodal Transport Booms... 61% Increase from 1Q

Over 31,000 Tons... Continued Volume from Chinese E-commerce

Cargo transshipment is underway at a sea-air combined transport cargo-only terminal located in the logistics complex within the Incheon Airport Free Trade Zone, transferring cargo from a maritime container arriving from China. (Photo by Incheon International Airport Corporation)

The combined sea-air transport performance at Incheon International Airport in the second quarter saw a significant increase compared to the first quarter, surpassing 30,000 tons. This growth is attributed to the increased volume from Chinese e-commerce companies.

Incheon International Airport Corporation announced on the 22nd that the combined sea-air transport volume in the second quarter of this year was 31,644 tons, a 64.2% increase from the previous quarter. The combined sea-air transport cargo is mainly shipped by sea from China to various ports on Korea’s west coast (Incheon, Pyeongtaek, Gunsan), and then delivered worldwide from Incheon Airport.

In the second quarter, 99.6% of the cargo originated from China. The arrival ports were Incheon Port (37.3%), Gunsan Port (31.8%), and Pyeongtaek Port (30.4%) in that order. The destinations were primarily major developed countries such as the Americas (41.6%) and Europe (32.1%). The corporation forecasted, "Recently, Chinese e-commerce companies have been diversifying their sales markets, so in the second half of the year, an increase in e-commerce cargo demand to Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and South America is expected."

Analysis of transport times by port showed that Incheon Port, closest to Incheon Airport, had the shortest average time at 4 hours and 39 minutes. This was followed by Pyeongtaek Port (5 hours 21 minutes) and Gunsan Port (7 hours 8 minutes). However, the average time for cargo to arrive at Incheon Airport showed little difference. In fact, Gunsan Port’s arrival time at 2:20 PM was earlier than Incheon Port’s 2:22 PM. This is because the ferry arrival time at Gunsan Port is 2 hours and 30 minutes earlier, and cargo handling time within the port is up to 1 hour and 37 minutes faster compared to other ports.

Incheon International Airport Corporation explained, "For logistics companies using combined sea-air transport, regardless of the arrival port within Korea, the cargo arrival time at Incheon Airport is almost the same," adding, "Using Incheon Airport’s combined sea-air transport can establish a stable logistics model."

Lee Hak-jae, President of Incheon International Airport Corporation, stated, "As the pace of change in air cargo trends accelerates, it has become extremely important for the air logistics industry to swiftly transition to business models that match these changes," and added, "We will continue to forecast market changes most rapidly and present new growth directions to the industry."

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