2.81 Million Passengers Expected at Airports Nationwide During Chuseok Holiday... "Which Day Will Be the Busiest?"

by Jun Youngjoo

Published 30 Sep.2025 10:35(KST)

On September 30, Korea Airports Corporation announced that it will implement special transportation measures at airports nationwide from October 2 to 12, during the Chuseok holiday period.

During this Chuseok holiday, the total number of passengers using airports nationwide, excluding Incheon International Airport, is expected to reach 2.81 million (2.06 million on domestic routes and 750,000 on international routes), with a daily average of 255,000 passengers expected to use the airports. During the same period, 15,745 flights are scheduled to operate, with a daily average of 1,431 flights. Compared to the previous year’s Chuseok holiday, this represents an increase of 8.4% in passenger numbers and 4.1% in flight operations.

The corporation expects passenger traffic to be concentrated at Gimpo Airport (October 2), Gimhae Airport (October 4), and Jeju Airport (October 8). In response, it plans to conduct pre-inspections and improvements of airport facilities, as well as manage passenger flow to prevent safety accidents and enhance passenger services.

Previously, from September 1 to 12, the corporation inspected and addressed deficiencies in check-in, passenger service, and commercial facilities at airports nationwide. From September 22 for five days, special inspections were conducted on the common passenger processing systems at seven airports, including Gimpo, Gimhae, Jeju, Daegu, Cheongju, Ulsan, and Pohang-Gyeongju. In addition, until October 1, special safety inspections are being carried out on airport safety, aviation security, and emergency preparedness.

Korea Airports Corporation

To alleviate parking congestion, an additional 5,987 temporary parking spaces will be secured, bringing the total parking capacity during the Chuseok holiday to 7,667 spaces at Gimpo, 5,735 at Gimhae, 3,394 at Jeju, and a total of 30,552 spaces nationwide. In the event of terminal congestion, the corporation plans to increase the operation rate of ID verification and security screening checkpoints, work with the Ministry of Justice and airlines to open immigration counters and international check-in counters earlier than usual, and thereby reduce passenger processing wait times.

Furthermore, to prepare for possible strikes by subsidiary employees during the Chuseok holiday, the corporation will monitor airport operations nationwide and operate a situation management team to maintain an emergency response system. In the event of a strike, it will immediately switch to a countermeasures headquarters, deploy substitute personnel from subsidiaries, increase the number of information staff and on-site guidance, and provide real-time airport information to minimize passenger inconvenience.