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Check-in system malfunction at Incheon airport causes major delays

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By Yonhap
  • Published Oct 30, 2026 4:08 pm KST
A disruption in the airline network at Incheon International Airport delays passenger processing for departing flights, Friday. Yonhap

A disruption in the airline network at Incheon International Airport delays passenger processing for departing flights, Friday. Yonhap

A check-in system malfunction occurred at Incheon International Airport on Friday, causing major delays in passenger processing, the airport operator said.

The malfunction began at 4:30 a.m. in an airline network connecting ticketing systems at the country's main gateway, leading to intermittent connectivity issues at eight airlines at Terminal 1 and five airlines at Terminal 2, according to Incheon International Airport Corp.

By afternoon, ticketing was effectively halted at three airlines — China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Air China.

Long lines of passengers formed at check-in counters, with some protesting that their airlines were not informing them of expected recovery times despite their approaching departures.

The airport operator said the disruption appeared to have been caused by a glitch in the global network of American aviation service provider ARINC and that it was looking for solutions.