An arrival gate at Incheon International Airport is crowded with travelers in this undated photo. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, April 13 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of international passengers traveling via Incheon International Airport, the main gateway to South Korea, is expected to recover this year to 76 percent of the normal pre-pandemic level, airport officials said Thursday.
A total of some 67,000 international flights had been serviced at Incheon International Airport in the first three months of this year, up 108.7 percent from a year earlier while the airport’s international passengers rose 10.5-fold to more than 11.4 million during the period, airport officials said.
The numbers each represent 68.6 percent and 64.3 percent of the corresponding levels seen in 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic brought most international trips to a sudden halt.
As demand for overseas trips returns as such, the number of international passengers traveling via the airport is expected to reach 53.7 million for whole of this year, or 76 percent of the annual 2019 level of 70.6 million, according to the officials.
The ongoing upturn is driven mostly by travelers using routes linking Incheon to North American and Southeast Asian nations, and Japan.
The number of passengers flying via Korea-North America routes had recovered to 95.2 percent of the 2019 level in the first quarter of this year while the routes to Southeast Asian nations and Japan had seen rises of 81.9 percent and 76.8 percent, respectively.
To meet the rising demand, the airport plans to bring its services back to full capacity by the summer vacation season in July and August, the officials added.
(Yonhap)
