Incheon International Airport Corporation announced on March 30 that it expects average daily scheduled flights for this summer travel season (March 29–October 24) to top 1,260 — up to a 9.1% increase over last summer’s 1,159 daily flights.
That rise comes down to more slots — the hourly number of takeoffs and landings an airport can handle. Incheon has increased its hourly slot capacity from 78 to 80. The expansion of Terminal 2, the full operation of a fourth runway and upgraded security checkpoints have all boosted the airport’s aircraft-handling capabilities.
When it opened in 2001 with 38 hourly slots, Incheon began steadily expanding capacity; at 80 slots per hour it now ranks eighth among global airports. The corporation estimates the extra capacity could enable roughly 10,220 additional flights a year and add about 2.38 million seats.
Priority for the expanded slots will go to strengthening domestic connections — including resuming Incheon–Jeju service and increasing flights between Incheon and Gimhae. The airport also plans to adjust connections on major transfer corridors, such as Southeast Asia–U.S. routes, to make transfers smoother and more efficient.
Lee Sang-yong, head of New Business at Incheon International Airport Corporation, said, “Eighty movements per hour means an aircraft takes off or lands every 45 seconds. We’ll operate the expanded slots efficiently to help accelerate reaching 30 million international visitors. And to prepare for a prolonged conflict in the Middle East, we will actively allocate slots to cargo flights to stabilize air logistics.”
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