[Editorial] Is It Time for Incheon Airport to Celebrate Just Because of High Passenger Numbers?

The cumulative number of passengers using Incheon International Airport has surpassed 1 billion in the 25 years since its opening. This is the fastest record among the world's major hub airports. In the first quarter of this year, the number of international passengers reached 19.78 million, ranking first among 1,234 airports worldwide. These achievements are worthy of Incheon International Airport’s reputation as a world-class facility. However, there remains a significant gap between such external results and the level of service experienced by passengers.

A representative example is the immigration process. Even if passengers enter the departure hall using the facial recognition Smart Pass, they must present their passport again at the Ministry of Justice’s inspection desk. This is because the inspection systems are not integrated. Incheon International Airport Corporation, the Ministry of Justice, and the airlines each manage only their own work, and there is no entity responsible for the passenger’s entire movement flow in a unified manner. During the immigration crisis last March, the Ministry of Justice requested an increase of 276 inspectors, but only 6 were actually added. In the past, for international flights, arriving “2 hours before departure” was standard, but now airports and airlines recommend arriving 3 hours in advance. It is not normal for the world’s number one international airport to advise passengers to arrive earlier rather than shortening their wait time.

This situation offers important insights for the government’s ongoing review of integrating Incheon International Airport Corporation, Korea Airports Corporation, and the Gaduk New Airport Construction Authority. The task of reducing inefficiency and unifying airport policy can no longer be postponed. While Incheon International Airport Corporation posted a large surplus, Korea Airports Corporation, which operates regional airports, continues to face structural deficits—another issue requiring improvement.

Of course, concerns that integration could weaken Incheon International Airport’s competitiveness or slow down decision-making must be heard. Therefore, a meticulous plan for distributing functions, resources, and authority should be established in advance. However, such concerns should not become an excuse to block reform. The key is to restructure the national airport operation system more efficiently.

Incheon International Airport Corporation must diversify its revenue structure, which is currently concentrated on duty-free shops and commercial facility leasing, while accelerating service innovation and resolving labor-management conflicts at its subsidiaries. A world-class airport cannot be evaluated solely by passenger numbers. Only when passenger convenience, operational efficiency, and service quality are simultaneously improved can true competitiveness be achieved. In this era of 1 billion passengers, what is needed is operational innovation that matches that record.

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