Incheon airport's global passenger volume ranking moves up 2 notches to fifth
The global ranking of Incheon International Airport in terms of international passenger traffic has jumped by two notches to fifth. Korea Times file
The global ranking of Incheon International Airport, the gateway to Seoul, measured in terms of international passenger traffic, jumped by two notches to fifth last year, its operator said Tuesday.
Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC), citing a report from the Airports Council International (ACI), said that the number of international passengers handled by the busiest airport in South Korea rose 10 percent to 67.68 million in 2018.
The ACI announces airport rankings annually based on international passenger numbers.
In 2017, Incheon airport ranked seventh by handling 61.52 million international passengers. Last year, the airport overtook Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (66.38 million passengers) and Singapore Changi Airport (64.89 million passengers) to reach the fifth place for the first time since its opening in 2001.
According to the ACI report, Dubai Airport ranked first with 88.89 million international passengers, followed by London Heathrow Airport (75.31 million), Hong Kong Airport (74.41 million) and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (70.96 million).
The IIAC attributed Incheon airport's rapid growth to a combination of factors, including the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, expansion of air routes departing from Incheon, and increased demand for overseas travel and flights by low-cost carriers (LCC).
Indeed, the number of LCC passengers at the Incheon airport topped 20 million last year for the first time since its opening, reaching 20.77 million.
"The feat of the world's top-five ranking has been achieved thanks to the Korean people's attention and the government's policy support. The airport will further improve its services through various reform measures, including introducing duty-free shops at the arrival halls," Chung Il-young, president of the IIAC, said. (Yonhap)