Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) revealed on May 28 that its fourth-phase construction project, initiated in 2017, has entered its final stages, and unveiled the construction site. With completion nearing 97%, the airport is set to commence operations in November.
The fourth-phase construction project of Incheon Airport involves doubling the size of Terminal 2, with a total project cost of 4.8 trillion won. Upon completion, the airport will be upgraded to a facility capable of accommodating 106 million passengers, compared to the previous capacity of 77 million. This will make it the world’s third-largest airport in terms of size, following Dubai and Istanbul airports. The annual number of flights will also increase from 500,000 to 600,000, a 20% increase, and cargo handling capacity will increase from 5 million tons to 6.3 million tons. The IIAC President Lee Hag-jae said, “The actual period of accommodating 100 million passengers is projected to be around 2031.”
Upon visiting the construction site on May 28, noticeable changes from the original airport were apparent. Previously, passengers were confined indoors once they entered the security zone after showing their tickets. However, the new facility features an outdoor garden with a gazebo, allowing passengers to go outside. While flight arrival times and other information were displayed solely in text messages, the new facility features a 78-meter-long, 10-meter-high LED display board that shows aircraft arrival and departure situations with graphics.
Incheon Airport plans to introduce “smart check-in” based on pre-registered biometric authentication starting November, aiming to reduce processing time to about 40 minutes. It will implement a smart apron control system to minimize aircraft operation delays.
