Korean airports brace for 170,000 travelers on Chuseok’s final day
Airports nationwide will add parking, adjust checkpoints and consider earlier check-in services as 810,000 passengers are expected during the five-day holiday period.
Vehicles fill the parking lot at the domestic terminal of Gimpo International Airport in Seoul on July 26, as the summer vacation season gets into full swing.
KIM JONG-HO
Airports across Korea are expected to be busiest on Sunday, the last day of the Chuseok holiday, when about 170,000 passengers are forecast to pass through, the Korea Airports Corporation said Monday.
The state-run airport operator said it will run special traffic measures from Wednesday to Sunday at 13 airports nationwide, excluding Incheon and Muan. About 810,000 passengers are expected over the five days, including 440,000 on domestic flights and 370,000 on international flights. That averages about 160,000 a day, up 2 percent from last year's Chuseok holiday, when Koreans traditionally travel to their hometowns to celebrate the autumn harvest.
Gimpo and Jeju airports are expected to be busiest on Wednesday, and Gimhae Airport on Sunday. A total of 4,850 flights are scheduled, including 2,536 domestic and 2,314 international. That averages 970 a day, up 3 percent from last year's holiday.
To ease congestion at departure halls, the corporation will operate ID verification and security checkpoints flexibly during peak hours and deploy guidance staff there. It is also discussing opening check-in counters and immigration desks early with the Ministry of Justice and airlines.
Parking will also expand. The corporation secured 6,605 temporary spaces, bringing the total to 30,885 spaces at airports nationwide. Including temporary lots, Gimpo will have 7,667 spaces, Gimhae 5,823 and Jeju 3,394.
Parking fees will be waived entirely from Thursday to Saturday for domestic-flight passengers from multi-child households and for vehicles used by people with disabilities. Multi-child households are those with two or more children, with the youngest being 18 or younger.
The corporation inspected essential facilities, as well as passenger convenience and commercial facilities, at airports early this month and completed repairs. Executives also visited major airports to check safety, security and emergency response readiness. Passengers on domestic flights whose checked baggage is selected for opening and inspection will be notified by a KakaoTalk message.
"We will do our utmost to ensure safe airport operations during the special traffic measures period so that the public's trips to and from their hometowns are safe," said Kim Won-joon, the corporation's president.
BY PARK YOUNG-WOO [[email protected]]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
