Incheon Airport facilities found vulnerable to collapse in major earthquake: BAI
A state audit found aging facilities at Incheon International Airport vulnerable to severe damage or collapse in a major earthquake and ordered broad seismic reinforcement.
Some facilities at Incheon International Airport could collapse in a major seismic event, the state-run Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea said Monday.
The assessment found that 13 of the airport’s 23 facilities that have been used for more than 20 years fail to meet current quake-resistant standards. The facilities include a substation, the airport security headquarters, a cargo terminal and an air traffic control communications station.
“These buildings could partially or completely collapse, or suffer severe structural damage, if a magnitude 6.1 to 6.5 earthquake strikes,” the audit agency said.
The Incheon International Airport Corporation had previously conducted seismic performance evaluations, but only for 40 airport facilities that were not designed to withstand earthquakes when they were built. The remaining 142 facilities have not undergone such evaluations despite up to 25 years having passed since their construction completion.
The corporation cited that the facilities met the seismic standards in effect at the time of construction. However, the audit found that the airport operator had taken few steps to meet heightened seismic standards introduced after the 2016 Gyeongju earthquake in North Gyeongsang, which measured magnitude 5.8, and the 2017 Pohang earthquake, also in North Gyeongsang, which registered magnitude 5.4.
The joint preliminary seismic assessments with the Korea Authority of Land and Infrastructure Safety found that 10 structures pose a “collapse risk,” meaning that a building or structure could suffer critical damage in a magnitude 6.1 to 6.5 earthquake and be left close to collapse. In addition, four other structures received a “collapse-prevention” rating, meaning that a building or structure may no longer be able to support its own weight.
Both ratings indicate that a facility falls short of seismic safety standards and must undergo further assessment.
Specifically, the weather observation facility was found to have improper seismic safety readiness with its observation deck being classified into a collapse risk, and the building itself being categorized into collapse prevention. Inspectors identified safety deficiencies in 14 structures across 13 poorly managed facilities.
The audit agency ordered the airport corporation to “develop measures to secure seismic safety, including reinforcement work at 113 facilities” given that Incheon is not immune to earthquake risk.
On Jan. 9, 2023, a magnitude 3.7 earthquake struck waters about 25 kilometers (15 miles) west of Ganghwa County, Incheon.
The audit also found that the airport operator improperly reduced rents for certain commercial tenants at Terminal 2.
For 13 months beginning in December 2024, the corporation applied sales-based rent and temporary-store standards, rather than per-passenger rent or minimum guaranteed payments, to eight businesses operating duty-free shops, restaurants and convenience stores in the expanded area of the terminal.
The corporation said that the scheme was used because passenger traffic did not increase when the new shops opened, despite the airline relocations.
As a result, 151.7 billion won ($100.4 million) was undercharged as the operator collected only 51.1 billion won of the 202.8 billion won in rent due under the contracts.
The audit also found that the corporation failed to conduct economic feasibility reviews before leasing 10 million square meters of land near the airport for privately operated hotels, recreational facilities and office developments.
Because rent fees and lease periods were determined uniformly based on the appraised value of land, 12 of the 18 leased properties were found to generate returns that did not cover the opportunity costs associated with the leases. The finding rendered the 12 facilities economically unjustifiable.
The review also found that the corporation failed to adequately monitor the leased properties. Three leased properties, for example, were being used as unregistered lodging facilities in violation of their implementation agreements.
The Board of Audit and Inspection also called for disciplinary action against officials who failed to act despite knowing that a hired subcontractor to install backup power batteries lacked the required electrical construction license.
BY HA JUN-HO [[email protected]]
