Wonju City Actively Takes Steps to Improve Inconveniences at Wonju Airport

Lack of Parking Spaces and Domestic Flights Are Top Inconveniences
Facility Improvements Planned, Including Resolving Bus Transfers Between Passenger Terminal and Apron

Wonju City, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (Mayor Won Kang-su) announced on the 13th that it will actively take measures to improve inconveniences based on the results of the ‘Citizen Opinion Survey on Wonju Airport Usage Status and Satisfaction,’ conducted last August targeting 1,127 users of Wonju (Hoengseong) Airport.

Aerial view of Wonju (Hoengseong) Airport. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The survey results showed that the most common inconvenience when using the airport was ‘lack of parking spaces,’ followed by ‘insufficient domestic (Jeju) flights,’ ‘lack of convenience facilities,’ and ‘lack of public transportation to the airport.’ Other opinions included ‘difficulty boarding the aircraft’ and ‘need for countermeasures in case of flight cancellations.’

Based on the survey results, the city will promptly request cooperation from the airport for issues that can be improved in the short term, and for projects requiring long-term facility improvements, it plans to reflect them in the 7th Comprehensive Airport Development Plan established by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to resolve the problems.

In particular, the issue of the dual structure of the passenger terminal and apron, which is cited as a major shortcoming of Wonju (Hoengseong) Airport, will be resolved by relocating the apron together when moving the passenger terminal in preparation for its upgrade to an international airport. Through this, the cumbersome procedure of citizens taking a bus to board the aircraft is expected to be fundamentally eliminated.

Additionally, due to geographical conditions causing frequent bad weather, the airport records the highest flight cancellation rate (6.7% in 2024) among airports nationwide. The city plans to thoroughly analyze the causes and seek countermeasures through continuous consultations with related organizations.

Mayor Won Kang-su of Wonju City stated, “Wonju (Hoengseong) Airport is attracting attention and expectations as the best airport in the central region with exponentially increasing air demand due to its excellent accessibility to the metropolitan area,” adding, “We will do our best to improve facilities through cooperation among the government, local governments, and airlines so that citizens visiting the regional airport can use it conveniently without any inconvenience.”

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