Up to 245,000 Expected... Incheon Airport Immigration Service Implements Special Duty Measures for Chuseok Holiday

Three Rounds of Special Staffing Measures Over 14 Days
Up to 60,000 Foreign Arrivals Expected Per Day
Immigration Officers Increased by 30% to 47%

The Incheon Airport Immigration Service will implement special staffing measures to handle the surge in passenger demand expected during Chuseok and China’s National Day holidays.

Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 is bustling with domestic and international arrivals. Photo by Yonhap News

The Incheon Airport Immigration Service announced on the 17th that, with the consecutive holidays of Chuseok, National Foundation Day, Hangeul Day, and China’s National Day falling between the end of September and the beginning of October, it will open departure halls earlier and increase the number of immigration officers to provide more convenient immigration services.


The busiest day is expected to be September 27, during the Chuseok holiday, with an estimated 245,300 passengers. The daily average number of expected immigration clearances during the Chuseok holiday is 225,899. On October 2, the number of incoming foreigners alone is projected to reach between 53,000 and 60,000.

Accordingly, the Incheon Airport Immigration Service will implement special staffing measures on three separate occasions over 14 days. These will cover the Chuseok holiday period from September 23 to 27, the Chinese National Day and National Foundation Day period from September 30 to October 5, and the Hangeul Day period from October 9 to 11.

First, the departure halls will be opened earlier on 12 out of the 14 days. The opening hour for Terminal 1’s departure hall No. 2 will be advanced from 6:00 a.m. to 5:30 a.m., and departure hall No. 4 from 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. At Terminal 2, departure hall No. 2 will open 30 minutes earlier, changing from 5:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m.

The number of immigration officers will also be increased. The staff for departure areas will be boosted by 42%, from 38 to 54. For arrivals, the staff will increase by 30%, from 128 to 166 during the standard countermeasure period. During the emergency period, from September 30 to October 3, the number of officers will rise by 47% to a total of 188.

Kim Jeongdo, Commissioner of the Incheon Airport Immigration Service, stated, "We will focus our efforts during the overlapping periods of China’s National Day and National Foundation Day holidays," and added, "We are preparing special measures tailored to the characteristics of each terminal."

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