Airport Statistics Updated November 2026

Human Written & Fact Checked · Updated

248 Seoul Incheon Airport Statistics for 2026

Seoul Incheon International Airport handled 74,071,475 passengers in 2025, the most since it opened in 2001, on the count of its operator, Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC). Almost all of them flew internationally: ACI World ranked Incheon third in the world for international passengers in 2025, and in the first half of 2026 it came first on ACI's provisional figures, IIAC says.

This page brings together the main figures on Incheon (ICN): passengers each year and in 2026, the busiest months and days, international and domestic traffic, transfers, destinations, airlines, flights, cargo, rankings and awards, delays, the size of the airport, the Phase 4 expansion, IIAC's finances and its emissions. Every number links to the body that published it, with the date.

Incheon figures depend on who counts. IIAC counts every arriving and departing passenger, including transfer passengers on both their flights; ACI World ranks airports on international passengers alone; and Korea's Ministry of Justice counts border crossings, which leave out transfer and domestic passengers. IIAC counts flights as aircraft movements, while the transport ministry counts flight plans. Each figure here says whose it is and what it measures.

Headline figures

  • Incheon handled 74,071,475 passengers in 2025, the most since it opened in 2001, on IIAC's count of arrivals and departures. (IIAC (2025 results release), Jan 2026)
  • 65,523,268 passengers used Incheon from January to October 2026, on IIAC's provisional figures. (IIAC (statistics database, yearly), Nov 2026)
  • ACI World ranked Incheon 3rd in the world for international passengers in 2025, with 73,554,772, on its preliminary rankings. (ACI World (2025 rankings), Apr 2026)
  • Incheon handled 38.39 million international passengers in the first half of 2026, first in the world on ACI's provisional statistics as reported by IIAC. (IIAC (H1 2026 release), Aug 2026)
  • Incheon handled 2,954,684 tonnes of freight and mail in 2025, 7th in the world on ACI World's preliminary cargo ranking. (ACI World (2025 rankings), Apr 2026)
  • Incheon had 425,760 flights in 2025, up 3.0% on 2024 and the most since it opened, IIAC says. (IIAC (2025 results release), Jan 2026)
  • The busiest day since the airport opened was 14 February 2026, with 247,104 passengers, IIAC says. (IIAC (1 billion passengers release), Jul 2026)
  • Incheon passed 1 billion passengers in July 2026, 25 years and 3 months after it opened, IIAC says. (IIAC (1 billion passengers release), Jul 2026)
  • Korean Air carried 17,702,533 passengers at Incheon in 2025, on IIAC's count by airline. (IIAC (statistics database, by airline 2025), Nov 2026)
  • Foreign nationals were 44.4% of all Incheon passengers in the second quarter of 2026, the highest share IIAC has recorded. (IIAC (H1 2026 release), Aug 2026)
  • 69,934,045 border crossings went through Incheon in 2025, 71.1% of the total at Korea's international airports and seaports, on the Ministry of Justice's count. (Ministry of Justice (Immigration Yearbook 2025), Jun 2026)
  • After Phase 4, Incheon can handle 106 million passengers a year, IIAC says, on design capacity. (IIAC (Phase 4 page), Nov 2026)
  • IIAC earned revenue of KRW 3,067,178 million in 2025 and an operating profit of KRW 881,103 million, in its consolidated accounts. (IIAC (ALIO income statement), Oct 2026)

How many passengers use Incheon Airport each year?

Incheon has never been busier: 2025 beat the 2019 total that had stood through the pandemic. Traffic grew every year from 2010 to 2019, fell to almost nothing in 2021 and took until 2025 to pass its old high.

33.5m 2010 35.1m 2011 39.0m 2012 41.5m 2013 45.5m 2014 49.3m 2015 57.8m 2016 62.1m 2017 68.3m 2018 71.2m 2019 12.0m 2020 3.2m 2021 17.9m 2022 56.1m 2023 71.2m 2024 74.1m 2025
View data table
Passengers at Incheon each year, in millions, on IIAC's count of arrivals and departures on all routes. Transfer passengers are counted on both their flights.
PeriodValue
201033.5m
201135.1m
201239.0m
201341.5m
201445.5m
201549.3m
201657.8m
201762.1m
201868.3m
201971.2m
202012.0m
20213.2m
202217.9m
202356.1m
202471.2m
202574.1m
Passengers at Incheon each year, in millions, on IIAC's count of arrivals and departures on all routes. Transfer passengers are counted on both their flights. (IIAC (statistics database, yearly), Nov 2026)

IIAC is an authorised statistical agency under Korea's Statistics Act and compiles its figures to ACI standards. Its database is live and may be revised. The 2001 figure is rounded on IIAC's hub page. The cumulative totals are IIAC's own; the brochure gives international passengers only.

How busy is Incheon in 2026?

Incheon has had more passengers than a year earlier in every month of 2026 so far. IIAC's own forecasts for the year, made in January and April, were cautious.

6.92m Jan 6.41m Feb 6.58m Mar 6.38m Apr 6.32m May 6.04m Jun 6.56m Jul 7.07m Aug 6.31m Sep 6.93m Oct
View data table
Passengers at Incheon each month in 2026, in millions, on IIAC's provisional figures. November figures were not out when this page was reviewed.
PeriodValue
Jan6.92m
Feb6.41m
Mar6.58m
Apr6.38m
May6.32m
Jun6.04m
Jul6.56m
Aug7.07m
Sep6.31m
Oct6.93m
Passengers at Incheon each month in 2026, in millions, on IIAC's provisional figures. November figures were not out when this page was reviewed. (IIAC (statistics database, monthly), Nov 2026)
  • January 2026 had 6,923,606 passengers and February 6,405,437. (IIAC (statistics database, monthly), Nov 2026)
  • March 2026 had 6,577,572 passengers, April 6,381,558 and May 6,315,000. (IIAC (statistics database, monthly), Nov 2026)
  • June 2026 had 6,036,349 passengers, July 6,564,738 and August 7,072,244. (IIAC (statistics database, monthly), Nov 2026)
  • September 2026 had 6,312,218 passengers. (IIAC (statistics database, monthly), Nov 2026)
  • October 2026 had 6,934,546 passengers, up 8.5% on October 2025, 38,721 flights, up 4.9%, and 282,146 tonnes of cargo, up 12.4%. (IIAC (statistics database, latest month), Nov 2026)
  • International passengers in the first half of 2026 were up 6.3% from 36.12 million a year earlier; Heathrow came second with 37.79 million and Singapore Changi third with 34.53 million, on the same provisional ACI data. (IIAC (H1 2026 release), Aug 2026)
  • In January 2026 IIAC forecast between about 75.54 million (+2.0%) and 78.55 million (+6.0%) passengers for 2026. (IIAC (2025 results release), Jan 2026)
  • In April 2026 IIAC forecast that international passengers would rise about 2% to 75.07 million in 2026 from 73.56 million in 2025, citing the US-Iran war, oil prices and exchange rates. (IIAC (Q1 2026 release), Apr 2026)
  • During the 2026 summer peak, 25 July to 17 August, Incheon averaged about 232,000 passengers a day, up 6.2% on about 218,000 a year earlier. (IIAC (summer 2026 parking release), Aug 2026)

All 2026 figures are provisional and may be revised. The two IIAC forecasts use different bases: the January one covers all passengers, the April one international passengers only. The first-half ranking is provisional ACI data as reported by IIAC; ACI publishes its annual figures early the following year.

Which are the busiest months at Incheon?

In IIAC's figures August is the peak month at Incheon, with January close behind, and April and September are the quietest. The pattern is much the same as in 2019, at a higher level.

6.58m Jan 6.01m Feb 6.02m Mar 5.82m Apr 5.99m May 5.95m Jun 6.23m Jul 6.60m Aug 5.84m Sep 6.39m Oct 6.08m Nov 6.57m Dec
View data table
Passengers at Incheon each month in 2025, in millions, on IIAC's count of arrivals and departures.
PeriodValue
Jan6.58m
Feb6.01m
Mar6.02m
Apr5.82m
May5.99m
Jun5.95m
Jul6.23m
Aug6.60m
Sep5.84m
Oct6.39m
Nov6.08m
Dec6.57m
Passengers at Incheon each month in 2025, in millions, on IIAC's count of arrivals and departures. (IIAC (statistics database, monthly), Nov 2026)

Monthly figures are from IIAC's live database. The quarter and half-year totals are rounded figures from IIAC releases at the time.

What are the busiest days at Incheon?

Korean holidays set the records at Incheon, above all Lunar New Year and Chuseok. Sundays and late afternoons are the peak times in IIAC's 2025 figures.

10.84m Mon 9.80m Tue 10.35m Wed 10.18m Thu 10.88m Fri 10.87m Sat 11.14m Sun
View data table
Passengers at Incheon in 2025 by day of the week, in millions, on IIAC's count. Each bar is the total for that weekday across the whole year.
PeriodValue
Mon10.84m
Tue9.80m
Wed10.35m
Thu10.18m
Fri10.88m
Sat10.87m
Sun11.14m
Passengers at Incheon in 2025 by day of the week, in millions, on IIAC's count. Each bar is the total for that weekday across the whole year. (IIAC (statistics database, by weekday), Nov 2026)
  • On 14 February 2026 there were 115,889 arrivals and 131,215 departures, the first day since opening above 240,000 passengers, IIAC said. (IIAC (Lunar New Year 2026 release), Feb 2026)
  • The Lunar New Year holiday of 13 to 18 February 2026 had 1,386,057 passengers, an average of 231,010 a day, the highest of any peak period, IIAC said. (IIAC (Lunar New Year 2026 release), Feb 2026)
  • Next came Lunar New Year 2025 with 219,026 a day, summer 2025 with 217,831 and summer 2024 with 215,545. (IIAC (Lunar New Year 2026 release), Feb 2026)
  • 4 January 2026 set a new daily record at the time; before that the busiest days were 4 August 2019 with 234,171 passengers, 25 January 2025 with 233,135, 1 August 2025 with 232,210 and 15 August 2025 with 231,642, on provisional figures. (IIAC (January 2026 daily record release), Jan 2026)
  • On 4 January 2026 the average wait in Terminal 1's departure hall was 7.9 minutes and the longest 42 minutes, around 06:00. (IIAC (January 2026 daily record release), Jan 2026)
  • Chuseok 2025, 2 to 9 October, averaged 217,613 passengers a day, 6.4% more than in 2024; 8 October had 228,846, and 3 October had 137,390 departing passengers, the first day above 130,000 departures. (IIAC (Chuseok 2025 release), Oct 2025)
  • Chuseok 2026, 23 to 27 September, had 1,099,025 passengers, an average of 219,805 a day and the most of any Chuseok, about 1% up on 2025; the busiest day was 27 September with 236,810. (IIAC (Chuseok 2026 release), Sep 2026)
  • The quietest day since opening was 19 April 2021, in the pandemic, with 2,539 passengers, about 98% below the usual daily average of 200,000. (IIAC (1 billion passengers release), Jul 2026)
  • Across 2025, Sundays had 11,139,925 passengers, Fridays 10,878,924, Saturdays 10,873,378 and Mondays 10,841,105. (IIAC (statistics database, by weekday), Nov 2026)
  • Wednesdays had 10,351,692, Thursdays 10,182,330 and Tuesdays 9,804,121; Wednesdays had 62,346 flights and Tuesdays 58,745. (IIAC (statistics database, by weekday), Nov 2026)
  • In 2025 the hour from 17:00 had 5,012,789 passengers and 24,938 flights, the hour from 16:00 had 4,852,354 passengers, and the hour from 02:00 had 250,201 passengers and 3,411 flights. (IIAC (statistics database, by hour), Nov 2026)
  • Arrivals bunch early: 2,289,299 arriving passengers landed in the hour from 06:00 in 2025, while 3,257,729 departing passengers left in the hour from 10:00. (IIAC (statistics database, by hour), Nov 2026)

Daily figures include transfer passengers. IIAC's releases give two counts for 4 January 2026, so neither is shown. Its peak-period periods are as IIAC defines them; the February 2026 ranking uses a longer Chuseok 2025 period, so that row is not shown. Weekday and hourly figures are totals across 2025, not averages.

How many Incheon passengers fly internationally?

Incheon is almost entirely an international airport; domestic flights carry well under a million passengers a year. More of its passengers are foreigners than before the pandemic, and the share keeps rising.

34.2% 2019 32.8% 2024 35.2% 2025 39.3% H1 2026
View data table
Foreign nationals as a share of all Incheon passengers, from IIAC's first-half 2026 release. The 2026 bar covers January to June only.
PeriodValue
201934.2%
202432.8%
202535.2%
H1 202639.3%
Foreign nationals as a share of all Incheon passengers, from IIAC's first-half 2026 release. The 2026 bar covers January to June only. (IIAC (H1 2026 release), Aug 2026)

IIAC counts international and domestic passengers arriving and departing, with transfer passengers counted on both flights. The Ministry of Justice counts people passing immigration control, so its figures leave out transfer and domestic passengers and are lower; the two are different measures and are not compared. NTTO counts only passengers on flights between Incheon and the US.

How many passengers change planes at Incheon?

Several million passengers a year change planes at Incheon, many of them on flights to and from the United States and China. Transfer traffic jumped in 2026 as Middle Eastern airlines cut flights, Korean Air says.

  • IIAC's database counted 5,066,497 transfer passengers in 2010, 5,533,263 in 2011 and 6,274,929 in 2012. (IIAC (statistics database, transfer), Nov 2026)
  • It counted 6,829,742 in 2013, 6,409,401 in 2014, 6,579,924 in 2015 and 6,327,042 in 2016. (IIAC (statistics database, transfer), Nov 2026)
  • It counted 6,387,366 in 2017 and 6,831,350 in 2018, then 1,912,051 in 2020, 509,009 in 2021 and 2,657,697 in 2022. (IIAC (statistics database, transfer), Nov 2026)
  • In the first half of 2026, 4,244,992 transfer passengers used Incheon, up 18.1% from 3,595,660 a year earlier; on Europe routes transfers rose 63.2% to 213,542 and all passengers 11.2% to 2,501,813. (IIAC (H1 2026 release), Aug 2026)
  • Korean Air reported unusual growth in transfer traffic in the second quarter of 2026 as Middle Eastern airlines cut flights. (Korean Air (Q2 2026 results), Jul 2026)
  • Transfers on China routes rose from 869,631 in 2019 to 1,097,434 in 2024, up 26.2%, and on Americas routes from 1,885,742 to 2,619,543, up 38.9%, IIAC said. (IIAC (2024 results release), Jan 2025)
  • IIAC noted that the US Department of Transportation allowed 150 weekly US-China passenger flights in 2019 but 50 from April 2024. (IIAC (2024 results release), Jan 2025)
  • IIAC's KRW 500 million interline grant programme led 7 airlines to sign 5 new interline agreements in 2025, opening 398 new connections via Incheon. (IIAC (interline programme release), Dec 2025)
  • Since 23 June 2026 checked bags from Incheon to Los Angeles and Seattle are screened remotely, as for Atlanta, Detroit and Minneapolis, so connecting passengers need not collect them; MOLIT expects transfer times to fall by at least 20 minutes, about 22.2%. (MOLIT (remote baggage screening), Jun 2026)
  • A transfer-only domestic connector between Gimhae and Incheon was raised by 4 to 39 flights a week for summer 2026. (MOLIT (summer 2026 schedule), Mar 2026)

IIAC publishes two transfer series that do not match: its statistics database and its press releases. They disagree for 2019 and 2023 to 2025, so those years' totals are not given here. The yearly figures from 2010 to 2022 and the 2025 country rows are from the database; the first-half 2026 and route figures are from IIAC releases. The two are not compared. Korean Air's comment is the airline's own.

Where do Incheon passengers fly to?

Japan, China and Southeast Asia are Incheon's three big markets. China traffic is growing fast again, while Southeast Asia has shrunk since 2024.

  1. 1 Southeast Asia 19.79m
  2. 2 Japan 18.58m
  3. 3 China 12.36m
  4. 4 Northeast Asia 7.03m
  5. 5 Americas 6.85m
International passengers at Incheon in 2025 on the five largest route groups, in millions, from IIAC's 2025 results release. Northeast Asia here means Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and Mongolia. (IIAC (2025 results release), Jan 2026)
  • IIAC counted 19,786,272 passengers on Southeast Asia routes in 2025 (26.7%), 18,578,176 on Japan routes (25.1%), 12,356,734 on China routes (16.7%), 7,026,111 on other Northeast Asia routes (9.5%) and 6,851,615 on Americas routes (9.3%). (IIAC (2025 results release), Jan 2026)
  • Southeast Asia traffic fell 5.9% from 21,036,705 in 2024, and its share went from 29.9% in 2019 and 29.6% in 2024 to 26.7% in 2025. (IIAC (2025 results release), Jan 2026)
  • In 2024 Japan routes had 17,748,418 passengers, China 10,082,542, the Americas 6,542,930 and other Northeast Asia 6,516,680; China was at 74.2% of its 2019 level of 13,582,674 and Europe at 72.6%. (IIAC (2024 results release), Jan 2025)
  • By country in 2025, Vietnam had 7,720,879 passengers, the United States 5,657,961, Thailand 3,561,121, the Philippines 3,434,958 and Taiwan 3,163,281. (IIAC (statistics database, by country 2025), Nov 2026)
  • Hong Kong had 2,789,382, Singapore 2,009,288, Malaysia 1,242,829, Indonesia 1,099,243, Canada 1,056,888 and Australia 989,280. (IIAC (statistics database, by country 2025), Nov 2026)
  • The United Arab Emirates had 827,828, Guam 736,134, Germany 727,900, Mongolia 642,814, France 602,833, Turkey 577,492 and Hawaii 522,816. (IIAC (statistics database, by country 2025), Nov 2026)
  • In 2019 Japan had 11,855,858 passengers, Vietnam 7,619,934, the United States 4,768,347, the Philippines 4,462,010 and Thailand 4,087,250. (IIAC (statistics database, by country 2019), Nov 2026)
  • From January to October 2026 Japan routes had 17,717,809 passengers, up 15.7%. (IIAC (statistics database, Japan 2026), Nov 2026)
  • In the same ten months China had 12,666,383, Vietnam 6,171,320, the United States 5,117,212, Taiwan 2,682,787 and the Philippines 2,506,232. (IIAC (statistics database, by country 2026), Nov 2026)
  • Japan routes had 9.34 million passengers in the first half of 2025, up 9.3%, and China routes 5.75 million, up 24.3%. (IIAC (H1 2025 release), Jul 2025)
  • Short-haul routes to Japan, China and Southeast Asia made up 84.3% of flights in the first quarter of 2025, against 82.1% in 2019. (IIAC (Q1 2025 release), Apr 2025)
  • Since opening, Japan routes have carried 204.79 million passengers, China 185.37 million, the US 86.10 million, Vietnam 67.07 million and Thailand 59.25 million. (IIAC (1 billion passengers release), Jul 2026)
  • The busiest routes since opening are Narita with 60.74 million passengers, Hong Kong with 50.62 million, Kansai with 48.11 million, Bangkok with 44.99 million and Taipei with 32.32 million. (IIAC (1 billion passengers release), Jul 2026)
  • In August 2026 Incheon was served by 101 airlines flying to 183 cities in 53 countries, and had international passenger flights to 158 cities, against 139 at Hong Kong, 86 at Narita and 92 at Shanghai Pudong, IIAC says. (IIAC (H1 2026 release), Aug 2026)
  • As of the October 2024 schedule, 100 airlines served 178 cities in 54 countries. (IIAC (Incheon in numbers page), Oct 2024)
  • At the end of 2023 there were 87 airlines, 50 countries and 164 international destinations on scheduled flights, against 88 airlines and 173 destinations in 2019 and 47 airlines and 103 destinations in 2001. (IIAC (hub competitiveness page), Dec 2023)

IIAC counts passengers on routes to and from each country and region, arrivals plus departures. It lists Hawaii separately from the United States and puts Guam and Saipan under Oceania. Its public database gives countries, not city pairs; the route totals since opening come from an IIAC release. Network counts change with the schedule and are given with their dates.

Which new routes are coming?

  • Korea and China agreed 70 more weekly flights in May 2026, the first increase in 7 years; Incheon to Beijing went from 45 to 52 a week, Shanghai from 56 to 63, and Guangzhou, Dalian, Chengdu and Harbin each gained 7. (MOLIT (Korea-China air talks), Jun 2026)
  • In its April 2026 allocation of route rights, Incheon to Chongqing, Chengdu and Xiamen each rose from 7 to 11 a week and Shenzhen from 14 to 18, with new rights to Ningbo (6), Wuxi (3), Yichang (3) and Hohhot (2). (MOLIT (2026 route rights), Apr 2026)
  • The winter 2026 schedule adds Incheon to Ningbo (Air Premia) and Linyi (Trinity); across Korea, 84 airlines plan up to 5,353 international passenger flights a week on 264 routes to 44 countries. (MOLIT (winter 2026 schedule), Oct 2026)
  • Incheon to Montreal, Calgary and Zagreb resumed in summer 2026. (MOLIT (summer 2026 schedule), Mar 2026)

Route rights are permitted flights, not flights operated. The winter schedule totals cover all Korean airports.

Which airlines carry the most passengers at Incheon?

Korean Air and Asiana are by far the biggest airlines at Incheon, and the two are due to merge in December 2026. Korean low-cost airlines such as Jeju Air, Jin Air and Trinity Airways come next, ahead of any foreign airline.

  1. 1 Korean Air 17.70m
  2. 2 Asiana Airlines 11.10m
  3. 3 Jeju Air 5.80m
  4. 4 Jin Air 4.84m
  5. 5 Trinity Airways 4.72m
  6. 6 Eastar Jet 2.15m
  7. 7 China Eastern 2.03m
  8. 8 VietJet Air 1.87m
  9. 9 Air Seoul 1.69m
  10. 10 China Southern 1.63m
Passengers carried by the ten largest airlines at Incheon in 2025, in millions, on IIAC's count of arrivals and departures by operating airline. (IIAC (statistics database, by airline 2025), Nov 2026)
  • Asiana Airlines carried 11,096,461 passengers at Incheon in 2025, Jeju Air 5,795,983, Jin Air 4,839,041 and Trinity Airways 4,717,588. (IIAC (statistics database, by airline 2025), Nov 2026)
  • Eastar Jet carried 2,154,821, China Eastern 2,029,803, VietJet Air 1,868,686, Air Seoul 1,688,442 and China Southern 1,627,469. (IIAC (statistics database, by airline 2025), Nov 2026)
  • Air Busan carried 1,313,663, Air Premia 1,094,431, Vietnam Airlines 1,040,734, Delta Air Lines 995,559 and Shandong Airlines 945,736. (IIAC (statistics database, by airline 2025), Nov 2026)
  • Korean Air flew 96,811 flights at Incheon in 2025 and carried 1,262,136 tonnes of cargo; Asiana flew 54,277 flights and carried 381,960 tonnes. (IIAC (statistics database, by airline 2025), Nov 2026)
  • From January to October 2026 Korean Air carried 15,673,236 passengers, Asiana 9,115,535, Jeju Air 5,509,311, Jin Air 4,216,929 and Trinity Airways 3,851,779. (IIAC (statistics database, by airline 2026), Nov 2026)
  • Eastar Jet carried 2,326,359, China Eastern 1,965,528, China Southern 1,764,142, Air Seoul 1,393,635 and Air Premia 1,135,936; Asiana's cargo fell to 123,419 tonnes. (IIAC (statistics database, by airline 2026), Nov 2026)
  • Since opening, Korean Air has carried 309.15 million passengers at Incheon, Asiana 208.11 million, Jeju Air 48.31 million, Jin Air 37.96 million and T'way 27.77 million. (IIAC (1 billion passengers release), Jul 2026)
  • Asiana moved from Terminal 1, where it had flown since the airport opened, to Terminal 2 at 00:00 on 14 January 2026. (IIAC (Asiana move release), Jan 2026)
  • Asiana opened Incheon-Milan on 31 March 2026 and Incheon-Budapest on 3 April 2026, each 3 a week with 311-seat A350s, giving 6 weekly Milan and 7 weekly Budapest flights with Korean Air. (IIAC (Milan and Budapest release), Mar 2026)
  • The merger of Korean Air and Asiana was scheduled for 17 December 2026, the transport ministry said in October. (MOLIT (winter 2026 schedule), Oct 2026)
  • Korean Air had 165 aircraft at the end of 2025, 142 passenger aircraft and 23 freighters, up from 162 a year earlier. (Korean Air (Q4 2025 results), Jan 2026)
  • Across its network in 2025, Korean Air flew 75,575 million international revenue passenger kilometres at a load factor of 84.4%, and 8,530 million cargo tonne-kilometres, down 3.6%, on preliminary figures. (Korean Air (Q4 2025 results), Jan 2026)
  • Korean Air's operating revenue rose 25.9% to KRW 5.0199 trillion in the second quarter of 2026, but operating profit fell 34.4% to KRW 261.8 billion as fuel costs rose 110.9%; cargo route revenue rose 46.1%. (Korean Air (Q2 2026 results), Jul 2026)

IIAC's airline figures are its own count of each operating airline at Incheon. Trinity Airways is the name IIAC prints for the airline formerly called T'way Air. Korean Air's fleet, traffic and results cover the whole airline, not Incheon alone, and are unaudited preliminary figures.

How many flights does Incheon handle?

Incheon has had more flights than in 2019 since 2024, and it now runs all four runways at once. Freighter flights jumped in the pandemic and have settled well above their 2019 level.

214.8k 2010 229.6k 2011 254.0k 2012 271.2k 2013 290.0k 2014 305.4k 2015 339.7k 2016 360.3k 2017 387.5k 2018 404.1k 2019 150.0k 2020 131.0k 2021 171.3k 2022 337.3k 2023 413.2k 2024 425.8k 2025
View data table
Flights at Incheon each year, in thousands, on IIAC's count of arrivals and departures by passenger and cargo aircraft.
PeriodValue
2010214.8k
2011229.6k
2012254.0k
2013271.2k
2014290.0k
2015305.4k
2016339.7k
2017360.3k
2018387.5k
2019404.1k
2020150.0k
2021131.0k
2022171.3k
2023337.3k
2024413.2k
2025425.8k
Flights at Incheon each year, in thousands, on IIAC's count of arrivals and departures by passenger and cargo aircraft. (IIAC (statistics database, yearly), Nov 2026)
  • Incheon had 214,835 flights in 2010, 229,580 in 2011, 254,037 in 2012 and 271,224 in 2013. (IIAC (statistics database, yearly), Nov 2026)
  • Flights reached 290,043 in 2014, 305,446 in 2015, 339,673 in 2016, 360,295 in 2017 and 387,497 in 2018. (IIAC (statistics database, yearly), Nov 2026)
  • They fell to 149,982 in 2020 and 131,027 in 2021, then rose to 171,253 in 2022, 337,299 in 2023 and 413,200 in 2024; January to October 2026 had 366,519. (IIAC (statistics database, yearly), Nov 2026)
  • Passenger aircraft made 374,039 flights in 2025, up 3.3% from 362,208 in 2024 (368,765 in 2019), and freighters 51,721, up 1.4%. (IIAC (2025 results release), Jan 2026)
  • Freighter flights numbered 35,339 in 2019, 61,933 in 2020, 92,938 in 2021, 77,608 in 2022, 51,258 in 2023 and 50,992 in 2024. (IIAC (statistics database, freighters), Nov 2026)
  • International flights reached 408,726 in 2024, 2.5% more than the previous record of 398,815 in 2019, IIAC said. (IIAC (2024 results release), Jan 2025)
  • Non-scheduled flights numbered 10,040 in 2019, 31,201 in 2020, 53,960 in 2021 and 37,251 in 2022, then 18,060 in 2023, 12,986 in 2024, 10,803 in 2025 and 11,001 from January to October 2026. (IIAC (statistics database, non-scheduled), Nov 2026)
  • By country in 2025, Japan routes had 101,708 flights, China 92,543, Vietnam 41,310 and the United States 41,276. (IIAC (statistics database, by country 2025), Nov 2026)
  • The most flights in a day were 1,310, on both 25 and 27 September 2026, beating the 1,284 of 13 February 2026, IIAC said. (IIAC (Chuseok 2026 release), Sep 2026)
  • The daily record before Chuseok 2025 was 1,271 flights, on 6 August 2025. (IIAC (Chuseok 2025 release), Oct 2025)
  • On flight plans filed, Incheon had 435,360 movements in 2025, an average of 1,193 a day and 2.8% more than the 423,493 of 2024, the most of any Korean airport, ahead of Jeju with 177,681 and Gimpo with 142,370. (MOLIT (2025 air traffic), Feb 2026)
  • Korea's total air traffic, including overflights, passed 1 million for the first time in 2025, at 1,013,830, up 6.8%. (MOLIT (2025 air traffic), Feb 2026)
  • In 2001 Incheon had 86,839 flights, 312 a day, to 44 countries on 167 routes; in 2008 it had 211,102; in 2019 it averaged 1,107 flights a day to 60 countries on 210 routes, and in 2023 924 a day to 55 countries on 184 routes. (MOLIT (Incheon airspace release), Sep 2024)

IIAC counts flights as aircraft movements: every arrival and departure by passenger and cargo aircraft, scheduled and not. The transport ministry (MOLIT) counts flight plans, which include non-commercial aircraft, so its total is higher; its historical table draws on Korea Airports Association data. The two are not compared. IIAC's international flight figure leaves out domestic flights. IIAC releases give two counts for 3 October 2025, so that day is not shown.

How much cargo goes through Incheon?

Incheon is one of the world's great cargo airports, and its tonnage has stayed near 3 million tonnes a year for a decade. US and China routes carry the most cargo, and tonnage has picked up in 2026.

2.68m t 2010 2.54m t 2011 2.46m t 2012 2.46m t 2013 2.56m t 2014 2.60m t 2015 2.71m t 2016 2.92m t 2017 2.95m t 2018 2.76m t 2019 2.82m t 2020 3.33m t 2021 2.95m t 2022 2.74m t 2023 2.95m t 2024 2.95m t 2025
View data table
Cargo at Incheon each year, in millions of tonnes, on IIAC's count of arriving and departing freight, transhipment cargo and mail.
PeriodValue
20102.68m t
20112.54m t
20122.46m t
20132.46m t
20142.56m t
20152.60m t
20162.71m t
20172.92m t
20182.95m t
20192.76m t
20202.82m t
20213.33m t
20222.95m t
20232.74m t
20242.95m t
20252.95m t
Cargo at Incheon each year, in millions of tonnes, on IIAC's count of arriving and departing freight, transhipment cargo and mail. (IIAC (statistics database, yearly), Nov 2026)
  • IIAC counted 2,684,499 tonnes of cargo in 2010, 2,539,222 in 2011, 2,456,724 in 2012 and 2,464,385 in 2013. (IIAC (statistics database, yearly), Nov 2026)
  • Cargo reached 2,557,681 tonnes in 2014, 2,595,677 in 2015, 2,714,341 in 2016, 2,921,691 in 2017 and 2,952,123 in 2018. (IIAC (statistics database, yearly), Nov 2026)
  • It was 2,764,369 tonnes in 2019 and rose in the pandemic to 2,822,370 in 2020 and 3,329,292 in 2021, then 2,945,855 in 2022, 2,744,136 in 2023 and 2,946,902 in 2024; January to October 2026 had 2,574,632. (IIAC (statistics database, yearly), Nov 2026)
  • In 2025, 1,025,505 tonnes went in the holds of passenger aircraft, up 2.0% from 1,005,005, and 1,929,179 tonnes on freighters, down 0.7% from 1,941,897. (IIAC (2025 results release), Jan 2026)
  • Transhipment cargo was 1,175,840 tonnes in 2010, 1,033,002 in 2015, 1,057,360 in 2019, 1,150,826 in 2020 and 1,283,219 in 2021. (IIAC (statistics database, transhipment), Nov 2026)
  • It was 1,133,332 tonnes in 2023, 1,178,280 in 2024 and 1,143,037 in 2025, and 946,045 from January to October 2026. (IIAC (statistics database, transhipment), Nov 2026)
  • In 2022, 1.12 million of the 2.95 million tonnes of international cargo at Incheon were transhipment cargo, about 38%, IIAC says. (IIAC (logistics page), Nov 2026)
  • Mail fell from 106,015 tonnes in 2015 and 111,662 in 2016 to 100,345 in 2019, 62,897 in 2020, 40,831 in 2024 and 36,590 in 2025; January to October 2026 had 29,395. (IIAC (statistics database, mail), Nov 2026)
  • By country in 2025, US routes carried 601,280 tonnes, China 543,635, Japan 273,049, Hong Kong 237,965 and Vietnam 213,512. (IIAC (statistics database, by country 2025), Nov 2026)
  • Germany had 123,784 tonnes, Singapore 102,413 and Thailand 92,715. (IIAC (statistics database, by country 2025), Nov 2026)
  • After Korean Air and Asiana, the airlines carrying the most cargo in 2025 were Air Zeta with 222,588 tonnes, FedEx with 86,828, Atlas Air with 55,059 and UPS with 46,916. (IIAC (statistics database, by airline 2025), Nov 2026)
  • Singapore Airlines carried 44,076 tonnes, Kalitta Air 41,484, Qatar Airways 39,872 and Air Premia 35,145. (IIAC (statistics database, by airline 2025), Nov 2026)
  • Monthly cargo in 2026 was 237,586 tonnes in January, 214,228 in February, 260,213 in March, 258,261 in April and 260,454 in May. (IIAC (statistics database, monthly), Nov 2026)
  • It was 262,469 tonnes in June, 269,402 in July, 259,965 in August and 269,909 in September, against 250,825, 256,219, 239,548 and 246,464 in the same months of 2025. (IIAC (statistics database, monthly), Nov 2026)
  • Air Zeta, formed from Air Incheon and Asiana's cargo division, began flying from Incheon on 1 August 2025; IIAC expects it to handle more than 500,000 tonnes a year, about 17% of Incheon's cargo, from 2026. (IIAC (Air Zeta release), Aug 2025)
  • As of December 2022, 25 cargo airlines linked Incheon with 107 cities in 43 countries; with cargo in passenger aircraft, 87 airlines served 152 cities in 53 countries. (IIAC (why Incheon logistics page), Dec 2022)
  • FedEx's enlarged terminal, opened in October 2022, can handle over 170,000 tonnes a year, and DHL planned to spend about KRW 175 billion to raise its hub from 8,100 to 26,480 parcels an hour, IIAC says. (IIAC (why Incheon logistics page), Dec 2022)
  • Incheon gained IATA's CEIV Pharma certification for medicine handling in 2019 and renewed it in September 2022. (IIAC (logistics specialty page), Nov 2026)
  • Incheon passed 50 million tonnes of cargo handled since opening on 27 July 2021. (IIAC (history page), Nov 2026)
  • ACI World puts Hong Kong, Shanghai Pudong, Anchorage, Louisville, Miami and Memphis ahead of Incheon for cargo in 2025. (ACI World (2025 rankings), Apr 2026)

IIAC counts cargo in tonnes, arriving plus departing, including transhipment cargo and mail; transhipment and mail are parts of the total. ACI World's cargo ranking counts loaded and unloaded freight and mail. The Air Zeta tonnage is an IIAC projection, and the FedEx and DHL figures are IIAC's description of their plans.

How does Incheon rank among the world's airports?

Incheon is one of the three busiest international airports in the world, behind only Dubai and Heathrow in 2025, and it led the world in the first half of 2026 on provisional data. It also wins many of the industry's service awards.

  1. 1 Dubai 95.19m
  2. 2 London Heathrow 79.87m
  3. 3 Seoul Incheon 73.55m
  4. 4 Singapore Changi 69.40m
  5. 5 Amsterdam 68.77m
  6. 6 Istanbul 66.61m
  7. 7 Paris-CDG 66.14m
  8. 8 Hong Kong 60.82m
  9. 9 Frankfurt 57.53m
  10. 10 Doha 54.34m
The ten busiest airports in the world for international passengers in 2025, in millions, on ACI World's preliminary rankings. (ACI World (2025 rankings), Apr 2026)
  • In ACI World's 2025 international ranking Dubai had 95,192,160 passengers and London Heathrow 79,874,784; behind Incheon came Singapore Changi with 69,402,000 and Amsterdam with 68,767,548. (ACI World (2025 rankings), Apr 2026)
  • Worldwide, airports handled 9.8 billion passengers in 2025, up 3.6%, of whom 4.0 billion were international, up 5.9%; cargo was about 128.9 million tonnes and aircraft movements about 101.5 million, ACI World estimates. (ACI World (2025 rankings), Apr 2026)
  • For 2024 ACI also ranked Incheon 3rd for international passengers, behind Dubai with 92,331,506 and Heathrow with 79,194,330, ahead of Changi with 67,063,000 and Schiphol with 66,822,849, IIAC reported; its previous best was 5th, in 2018 and 2019. (IIAC (ACI 2024 ranking release), May 2025)
  • Skytrax ranked Incheon 2nd in its World's Top 100 Airports for 2026, up from 4th in 2025, behind Singapore Changi and ahead of Tokyo Haneda. (Skytrax (World's Top 100 Airports 2026), Mar 2026)

ACI World ranks airports on international passengers, a different measure from IIAC's total. The 2024 ranking is as IIAC reported it from ACI's World Airport Traffic Report. ACI's 2025 figures are preliminary.

What awards has Incheon won?

  • ACI named Incheon the first airport in the world to reach Level 5, the new top level of its Airport Customer Experience Accreditation, in September 2022. (ACI World (customer experience Level 5), Sep 2022)
  • In 2026 Incheon held Level 5 for a fifth year running, the first and only one of 143 airports to do so, and has won ASQ Airport of the Year 15 times in the 20 award ceremonies from 2006 to 2025, IIAC says. (IIAC (customer experience release), Sep 2026)
  • IIAC says Incheon was ranked first in ACI's Airport Service Quality survey for 12 years in a row, scored 5.00 for overall satisfaction in 2023 and was the first airport to reach Level 4 customer experience accreditation, in March 2021. (IIAC (airport services page), Nov 2026)
  • Incheon was one of the winners of Best Airport over 40 Million Passengers in Asia-Pacific in ACI's 2024 ASQ Awards, in which 35 Asia-Pacific and Middle East airports won 68 awards. (ACI Asia-Pacific (2024 ASQ awards), Mar 2025)
  • Skytrax named Incheon the World's Most Family Friendly Airport 2026, ahead of Singapore Changi and Istanbul. (Skytrax (family friendly airport 2026), Mar 2026)
  • Incheon also won the family award in 2024, IIAC says. (IIAC (Skytrax 2026 release), Mar 2026)
  • Incheon won World's Best Airport Staff and Best Airport Staff in Asia Pacific at the 2025 Skytrax awards, IIAC says. (IIAC (Skytrax 2025 release), Apr 2025)
  • In the 2026 staff category Incheon was 4th, behind Tokyo Narita, Centrair Nagoya and Singapore Changi. (Skytrax (best airport staff 2026), Mar 2026)
  • Incheon won the Air Transport Research Society's 2026 airport efficiency award as the best Asia-Pacific airport with over 40 million passengers, IIAC says. (IIAC (ATRS award release), Jul 2026)
  • In August 2020 Incheon became the first airport in Asia-Pacific accredited under ACI's Airport Health Accreditation programme. (ACI Asia-Pacific (health accreditation), Aug 2020)

Skytrax is a commercial firm whose rankings come from its own online passenger survey. ASQ awards often have several joint winners in each category. IIAC gives three different sets of years for its 12-year ASQ run, so no years are shown.

How punctual is Incheon and how long are the queues?

Most delays at Incheon start somewhere else: late-arriving aircraft cause more of them than anything else. Cancellations are rare, but foreign visitors can wait much longer than Koreans at immigration.

  1. 1 Connection 49,366
  2. 2 Airport and immigration 19,963
  3. 3 Air traffic flow 16,400
  4. 4 Others 5,912
  5. 5 Passenger and cargo 3,759
  6. 6 Maintenance 3,208
  7. 7 Temperature 2,772
  8. 8 Operations and crew 1,257
  9. 9 Ground handling 769
Delayed regular passenger flights at Incheon in 2025 by cause, on IIAC's count. Connection means the aircraft arrived late from its previous flight. (IIAC (statistics database, delays), Nov 2026)
  • 103,406 regular passenger flights at Incheon were delayed in 2025, on IIAC's count. (IIAC (statistics database, delays), Nov 2026)
  • Late connecting aircraft caused 49,366 delays, airport and immigration 19,963, air traffic flow 16,400 and other causes 5,912. (IIAC (statistics database, delays), Nov 2026)
  • Passengers and cargo caused 3,759 delays, maintenance 3,208, the cause IIAC's English site labels Temperature 2,772, operations and cabin crew 1,257 and ground handling 769. (IIAC (statistics database, delays), Nov 2026)
  • 291 regular passenger flights were cancelled in 2025: 104 for the cause labelled Temperature, 84 for maintenance, 49 for other causes and 34 for connections. (IIAC (statistics database, cancellations), Nov 2026)
  • Foreign nationals at staffed immigration counters waited 24 to 35 minutes on average, against about 2 minutes for Koreans using automated gates, IIAC said when it opened priority lanes for foreign business travellers on 31 August 2025. (IIAC (immigration lanes release), Sep 2025)
  • At Chuseok 2026 the average wait in Terminal 1's departure hall was 3 minutes and the longest 12 minutes. (IIAC (Chuseok 2026 release), Sep 2026)
  • The face-recognition Smart Pass was used by 9.2% of passengers in 2024, 12.3% in 2025 and 14.7% in March 2026; from 28 May 2026 it had 5 of the 16 departure entrances, with 8 planned by the end of the year. (MOLIT (Smart Pass release), May 2026)
  • 4,202 of 4,444 people asked in October 2025 were satisfied with Smart Pass. (MOLIT (Smart Pass release), May 2026)
  • Incheon handled 65,744,000 bags in 2025, about 180,000 a day, with an accuracy of 99.9998%, or 2 mishandled bags per million against a global average of 111 that IIAC cites. (IIAC (baggage handling page), 2025)
  • Its baggage conveyors run for 21 km in Terminal 1, 67 km in the Concourse and 96 km in Terminal 2. (IIAC (baggage handling page), 2025)
  • Incheon passed 700 million bags handled since opening on 22 December 2021. (IIAC (history page), Nov 2026)

IIAC counts delays and cancellations of regular passenger flights. These are counts, not a punctuality rate. Temperature is the label on IIAC's English site. Immigration is run by the Ministry of Justice, and IIAC does not say how it measured the waits. The global baggage average is IIAC's comparison and its source is not named.

How big is Incheon Airport?

Incheon has four runways and two large terminals, and since late 2025 it can use all four runways at once. Its design capacity is well above today's traffic, so it has room to grow.

  1. 1 Runway 1 3,750 m
  2. 2 Runway 2 3,750 m
  3. 3 Runway 3 4,000 m
  4. 4 Runway 4 3,750 m
Length of the four runways at Incheon, in metres, from IIAC's overview of the airport. All four are 60 metres wide. (IIAC (airport construction overview), Nov 2026)
  • Runways 1 and 2 are 3,750 by 60 metres, Runway 3 is 4,000 by 60 metres and Runway 4 is 3,750 by 60 metres; Terminal 1 covers 507,000 square metres and Terminal 2 735,000 square metres. (IIAC (airport construction overview), Nov 2026)
  • There are 225 passenger and 60 cargo apron stands. (IIAC (airport construction overview), Nov 2026)
  • IIAC gives a design capacity of 600,000 flights a year after Phase 4. (IIAC (Incheon Airport by scale page), Nov 2026)
  • The airport has 810 check-in counters, including 100 self bag drops, 110 security screening zones, 122 staffed and 84 automated departure passport lanes, 136 staffed and 88 automated arrival lanes, 43 baggage claim areas and 259,000 square metres of cargo terminals. (IIAC (Incheon Airport by scale page), Nov 2026)
  • Phase 1 cost KRW 5.6323 trillion (1992-2000), Phase 2 KRW 2.9688 trillion (2002-2008) and Phase 4 KRW 4.8405 trillion (2017-2024), in money of the day. (IIAC (Incheon Airport by scale page), Nov 2026)
  • From late September 2025 Incheon ran all four runways at once for the first time, raising runway capacity from 500,000 movements a year (90 an hour) to 107 an hour; six new rapid-exit taxiways cut runway occupancy from 75 to 55 seconds. (IIAC (runway 2 reopening release), Aug 2025)
  • IIAC introduced airport collaborative decision making by the end of 2017, linked it to departure sequencing and de-icing by the end of 2022, and plans to automate it after 2025. (IIAC (A-CDM page), Nov 2026)

Capacity figures are design capacity, not traffic. IIAC's pages give two Phase 3 costs and two concourse areas, so neither is shown. Costs are in won at the prices of the day, not adjusted for inflation.

How busy is each terminal?

  • Terminal 1 handled 50,126,300 passengers in 2018, 50,409,642 in 2019, 38,827,749 in 2023, 47,493,020 in 2024 and 47,949,059 in 2025, and 32,193,163 from January to October 2026. (IIAC (statistics database, Terminal 1), Nov 2026)
  • Terminal 2 handled 18,133,463 passengers in 2018, 20,760,080 in 2019, 17,303,315 in 2023, 23,663,927 in 2024 and 26,122,416 in 2025, and 33,330,105 from January to October 2026. (IIAC (statistics database, Terminal 2), Nov 2026)
  • Terminal 2 had 2,360,218 passengers in October 2025, 2,235,279 in November and 2,410,274 in December, then 3,086,529 in January 2026, 3,210,967 in February and 3,432,449 in March. (IIAC (statistics database, Terminal 2 monthly), Nov 2026)
  • Terminal 2 opened on 18 January 2018 with capacity for 23 million passengers a year, built in Phase 3 with a 6.4 km rail link to Terminal 1. (IIAC (Phase 3 page), Nov 2026)
  • The Terminal 2 short-term car park reached 121% occupancy on 28 February 2026; IIAC then freed 3,266 short-term spaces for passengers, 51.4% of the 6,352 there had been, and plans 1,300 more at Terminal 2 by 2031. (IIAC (summer 2026 parking release), Aug 2026)
  • Peak car park occupancy in summer 2026 was 89.4%, against 102.5% in 2025. (IIAC (summer 2026 parking release), Aug 2026)

Terminal figures cover passenger flights only. Asiana moved to Terminal 2 on 14 January 2026, so January 2026 includes 13 days before the move.

How do you get to Incheon?

  • All-stop trains on the Airport Railroad (AREX) take 6 minutes from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1, 44 minutes to Gimpo Airport, 58 minutes to Hongik University and 66 minutes to Seoul Station. (IIAC (airport railroad guide), Nov 2026)
  • The train between the two terminals takes about 6 minutes and costs KRW 1,050. (IIAC (inter-terminal transport page), Nov 2026)
  • AREX was due to add 9 new trains by the end of 2025, costing KRW 193.4 billion of state funding over 2021-2025, to ease crowding. (MOLIT (AREX new trains), Sep 2025)
  • Short-term parking costs KRW 2,400 an hour or KRW 24,000 a day, and long-term parking KRW 1,000 an hour or KRW 9,000 a day, with the first 10 minutes free. (IIAC (parking fees page), Nov 2026)
  • A free maglev train runs from Terminal 1 to Yongyu from Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 17:00. (IIAC (maglev guide), Nov 2026)

Journey times are for the all-stop service from Terminal 2. AREX's own ridership figures were not available. Fares and fees are as published at the time of review.

What has been built at Incheon and what comes next?

Phase 4, finished in late 2024, gave Incheon a fourth runway and a much larger Terminal 2. IIAC is now betting on aircraft maintenance, logistics and airport contracts abroad to grow beyond passengers.

  1. 1 Tourism KRW 5.8tn
  2. 2 Aircraft maintenance (MRO) KRW 2.4tn
  3. 3 Logistics KRW 0.9tn
IIAC's projection of annual revenue in the airport economic zone by 2030, by sector, in KRW trillion. This is a projection, not a result. (IIAC (airport economic zone page), Nov 2026)
  • Phase 4 took 84 months from November 2017, was self-financed and added design capacity for 29 million passengers, 1.3 million tonnes of cargo and about 100,000 flights a year. (IIAC (Phase 4 page), Nov 2026)
  • It added a 10,683-space car park and Terminal 2 baggage systems for 11,150 departing and transfer bags and 28,800 arriving bags an hour. (IIAC (Phase 4 page), Nov 2026)
  • Phase 4 opened officially on 3 December 2024, adding 75 aircraft stands, 62 for passengers and 13 for cargo, and raising cargo capacity from 5.0 to 6.3 million tonnes; IIAC and MOLIT expected about KRW 1.7 trillion of economic ripple effects. (IIAC (Phase 4 completion release), Dec 2024)
  • With Phase 4, Incheon became the first airport in the world with two terminals each able to handle more than 50 million international passengers, IIAC and MOLIT said. (IIAC (Phase 4 completion release), Dec 2024)
  • Phases 1 to 4 cost KRW 18.017 trillion in all, of which KRW 3.2874 trillion, 18%, came from the national treasury and 82% from IIAC, mostly through bonds. (IIAC (1 billion passengers release), Jul 2026)
  • Phase 1 took 101 months from November 1992, with 40% from the national treasury, and Incheon opened on 29 March 2001. (IIAC (Phase 1 page), Nov 2026)
  • IIAC projects that the airport economic zone will bring KRW 9.1 trillion a year of revenue by 2030 and KRW 15.3 trillion of production effects. (IIAC (airport economic zone page), Nov 2026)
  • IIAC counts 14,031 jobs created as of 2023 and 47,969 from 2017 to 2023, and projects 53,000 jobs a year by 2030. (IIAC (corporate brochure 2025), 2025)
  • IIAC aims to create 120,000 jobs and make 70,000 job matches, both cumulative, by 2030. (IIAC (ESG social page), Nov 2026)
  • The aircraft maintenance complex covers about 2.35 million square metres; IIAC expects about 5,000 jobs and about KRW 1 trillion a year of production effects over 10 years, and the first Boeing 777 freighter conversion began in April 2026, with up to 6 a year planned. (IIAC (Q1 2026 release), Apr 2026)
  • Korea's aircraft maintenance market was about KRW 3.9 trillion in 2024, and more than 60%, KRW 2.4 trillion, was done abroad, against 45.5% in 2019; 3 of the complex's 7 hangar sites have anchor tenants. (IIAC (maintenance hub release), Aug 2026)
  • Korean Air, Asiana and Sharp Technics K run four maintenance hangars at Incheon. (IIAC (MRO business page), Nov 2026)
  • IIAC has won 42 projects in 18 countries abroad, worth $585.58 million in all, as of July 2026. (IIAC (1 billion passengers release), Jul 2026)
  • Its projects have included Erbil Airport in Iraq ($31.51 million), consulting on Istanbul New Airport ($11.69 million), Long Thanh in Vietnam ($8.42 million) and Poland's new airport ($5.46 million). (IIAC (overseas projects page), Nov 2026)
  • In April 2025 IIAC was chosen as preferred bidder to develop and run Urgench Airport in Uzbekistan, its first overseas airport partnership with full terminal operating rights. (IIAC (Urgench release), Jun 2025)
  • In June 2025 it signed a memorandum of understanding on Guayaquil's planned new airport in Ecuador, for more than 7 million passengers a year at about KRW 500 billion ($360 million). (IIAC (Guayaquil release), Jun 2025)
  • IIAC and partners completed an urban air mobility trial between Incheon and Deokjeok Island from 7 to 20 October 2026, after earlier trials in April 2024 and October 2025. (IIAC (UAM trial release), Oct 2026)
  • In January 2026 IIAC put forward Hyundai DF and Hotel Lotte for both main duty-free concessions, subject to customs licence review. (IIAC (duty-free tender release), Jan 2026)
  • In March 2025 IIAC joined the Airports AI Alliance, the first airport in Asia to do so, it says. (IIAC (AI alliance release), Mar 2025)
  • MOLIT's five-year noise plan of January 2026 proposes considering a noise charge at Incheon and extending low-noise flight procedures to it. (MOLIT (airport noise plan), Jan 2026)

Capacity and job figures for 2030 and the maintenance complex are IIAC projections; the economic effects are IIAC and government expectations. IIAC's pages and releases give different dates for the end of Phase 4 and two sizes for the Terminal 2 extension, so this page uses the official opening date and no area. Costs are in won at the prices of the day.

How much money does IIAC make?

IIAC, the state-owned operator, has gone from heavy pandemic losses back to large profits in three years. Its long-term borrowing has fallen since 2022.

KRW 0.56tn 2021 KRW 1.04tn 2022 KRW 2.25tn 2023 KRW 2.63tn 2024 KRW 3.07tn 2025
View data table
IIAC's revenue each year, in KRW trillion, from its consolidated income statement filed on ALIO.
PeriodValue
2021KRW 0.56tn
2022KRW 1.04tn
2023KRW 2.25tn
2024KRW 2.63tn
2025KRW 3.07tn
IIAC's revenue each year, in KRW trillion, from its consolidated income statement filed on ALIO. (IIAC (ALIO income statement), Oct 2026)
  • IIAC's revenue was KRW 559,425 million in 2021 and KRW 1,035,196 million in 2022. (IIAC (ALIO income statement), Oct 2026)
  • It rose to KRW 2,250,526 million in 2023 and KRW 2,632,531 million in 2024, and was KRW 1,700,531 million in the first half of 2026. (IIAC (ALIO income statement), Oct 2026)
  • IIAC made operating losses of KRW 929,998 million in 2021 and KRW 587,381 million in 2022, then operating profits of KRW 532,506 million in 2023 and KRW 741,121 million in 2024; the first half of 2026 brought KRW 495,420 million. (IIAC (ALIO income statement), Oct 2026)
  • Net profit was KRW 503,501 million in 2023, KRW 488,204 million in 2024 and KRW 691,419 million in 2025, after net losses of KRW 750,568 million in 2021 and KRW 526,604 million in 2022. (IIAC (ALIO income statement), Oct 2026)
  • In the first quarter of 2026 IIAC had revenue of KRW 706.8 billion, up 5.4%, operating profit of KRW 230.2 billion and net profit of KRW 145.3 billion. (IIAC (Q1 2026 release), Apr 2026)
  • In the first quarter of 2025 revenue was KRW 643.2 billion, slightly below the KRW 658.5 billion of the first quarter of 2019, with operating profit of KRW 199.1 billion and net profit of KRW 166.2 billion. (IIAC (Q1 2025 release), Apr 2025)
  • In the pandemic years 2020 to 2022 IIAC took about KRW 1.7 trillion of cumulative losses while giving airport users about KRW 2.5 trillion of fee cuts and KRW 380.2 billion of payment deferrals. (IIAC (1 billion passengers release), Jul 2026)
  • At the end of 2025 IIAC had total assets of KRW 16,142,676 million, liabilities of KRW 7,620,187 million and equity of KRW 8,522,489 million; its debt ratio fell to 89.41% from 99.45% a year earlier. (IIAC (ALIO balance sheet), Oct 2026)
  • Long-term borrowings, mostly bonds, were KRW 4,071,260 million at the end of 2025, down from KRW 4,865,571 million a year earlier and KRW 5,277,881 million at the end of 2022; dependence on borrowing fell from 37.25% to 25.22%. (IIAC (ALIO borrowings), Oct 2026)
  • IIAC spent KRW 1,133,584 million on airport construction in 2021, KRW 1,146,368 million in 2022, KRW 1,562,326 million in 2023 and KRW 1,365,656 million in 2024, falling to KRW 781,774 million in 2025 and a 2026 budget of KRW 563,582 million. (IIAC (ALIO main projects), Apr 2026)
  • Spending on airport operation and management was KRW 4,521,618 million in 2025, and IIAC budgeted KRW 278,101 million for facility improvement in 2026, against KRW 43,840 million spent in 2025. (IIAC (ALIO main projects), Apr 2026)
  • IIAC's authorised staff, including executives, was 2,005 in 2025 and 2,022 in the third quarter of 2026; its subsidiaries employed 10,103 and 10,154. (IIAC (ALIO staff numbers), Oct 2026)
  • Its regular employees earned an average of KRW 97.188 million in 2025, against KRW 97.651 million in 2024 and KRW 90.160 million in 2021; there were 1,567.27 full-time equivalents with an average service of 171 months. (IIAC (ALIO average pay), Apr 2026)
  • IIAC employed 77 people with disabilities among 2,019 regular workers in 2025, 3.81%, meeting its legal quota of 76. (IIAC (ALIO disability employment), Jul 2026)
  • The government's public-sector safety grade for IIAC was 3 in 2021, 2 from 2022 to 2024 and 3 in 2025, on a scale where 1 is best. (IIAC (ALIO safety grade), Jul 2026)
  • One worker died on an IIAC-commissioned construction contract in 2026, up to September. (IIAC (ALIO workplace fatalities), Oct 2026)

Annual figures are IIAC's audited consolidated accounts as filed on ALIO, Korea's disclosure system for public institutions, in October 2026; earlier years may be restated. Quarterly figures are from IIAC releases at the time. Staff numbers are IIAC's own and its subsidiaries', not everyone working at the airport.

What are Incheon Airport's emissions?

IIAC's own emissions have risen every year since 2021 as the airport has grown, even as it adds solar power and electric equipment. It aims for net zero by 2045.

197.0k 2021 219.2k 2022 245.1k 2023 267.1k 2024 273.1k 2025
View data table
IIAC's own Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions each year, in thousand tCO2eq, on the certified emissions-trading basis filed on ALIO. Aircraft are not included.
PeriodValue
2021197.0k
2022219.2k
2023245.1k
2024267.1k
2025273.1k
IIAC's own Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions each year, in thousand tCO2eq, on the certified emissions-trading basis filed on ALIO. Aircraft are not included. (IIAC (ALIO greenhouse gas filing), Oct 2026)
  • IIAC's own direct and indirect emissions (Scope 1 and 2) were 196,985 tCO2eq in 2021, 219,208 in 2022 and 245,143 in 2023, on the certified emissions-trading basis. (IIAC (ALIO greenhouse gas filing), Oct 2026)
  • They were 267,110 tCO2eq in 2024 and 273,140 in 2025 on the same basis; IIAC does not report Scope 3 there. (IIAC (ALIO greenhouse gas filing), Oct 2026)
  • IIAC's total energy use was 4,110.76 TJ in 2020, 3,913.44 in 2021, 4,281.29 in 2022, 4,721.49 in 2023 and 5,156.77 in 2024. (IIAC (ALIO energy use), Apr 2026)
  • It generated 29,767 tonnes of waste in 2020, 86,314 in 2021, 126,656 in 2022, 54,813.4 in 2023 and 42,040.51 in 2024. (IIAC (ALIO waste), Apr 2026)
  • IIAC aims for net zero emissions by 2045, renewables for 60% of its energy by 2030, up from 6.7% in 2023, and 100% by 2040; it has 23.2 MW of solar and 10.1 MW of geothermal capacity. (IIAC (ESG environment page), Nov 2026)
  • At the end of 2024 Incheon had 2 hydrogen stations, at Terminal 1 for 500 kg a day and Terminal 2 for 1,000 kg a day; IIAC plans 1,110 electric vehicle chargers by 2030 and to convert diesel ground equipment by 32% in 2025, 65% in 2028 and 100% in 2030. (IIAC (ESG environment page), 2024)
  • Incheon generated 38.6 GWh of renewable electricity in 2024, and its RE100 achievement rate was 10%. (IIAC (Green Report 2025), 2025)
  • IIAC runs 215 ground power units that it says use 98% less energy than aircraft auxiliary power units, and plans 275; pre-conditioned air units rose 37.4% to 125 in 2024, cutting 80,255 tCO2eq that year on IIAC's calculation. (IIAC (Green Report 2025), 2025)
  • Incheon became the first Asian airport to join RE100, on 25 February 2022. (IIAC (history page), Nov 2026)
  • IIAC gained Level 4 (Transformation) in ACI's Airport Carbon Accreditation in September 2023. (IIAC (energy management page), Nov 2026)
  • It was the first Korean airport at Level 4, having held Level 3 since 2014, also a first in Korea, IIAC said. (IIAC (carbon accreditation release), Sep 2023)
  • The programme's own directory lists Incheon at Level 4. (Airport Carbon Accreditation (directory), Nov 2026)

Emissions here are IIAC's own Scope 1 and 2, on the emissions-trading basis it files with the government. IIAC also reports emissions on the Airport Carbon Accreditation basis, which gives different figures; those are not used. Targets are IIAC's. The reductions from pre-conditioned air are IIAC's own calculation.

Glossary

ICN
The IATA code for Seoul Incheon International Airport.
IIAC
Incheon International Airport Corporation, the state-owned company that runs Incheon and publishes its statistics.
ACI
Airports Council International, the trade body for airport operators. ACI World publishes global traffic rankings and runs service and carbon programmes.
ASQ
Airport Service Quality, ACI's passenger satisfaction survey and awards.
MOLIT
Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which oversees aviation and airports.
Ministry of Justice
The Korean ministry whose Immigration Service counts people crossing the border at each port.
ALIO
Korea's official disclosure system for public institutions, where IIAC files its accounts and other data.
KRW
The South Korean won.
Flights
IIAC's count of aircraft movements: every arrival and departure by passenger and cargo aircraft.
Flight plans
MOLIT's measure of air traffic, counting flight plans filed, including non-commercial aircraft.
Transfer passenger
A passenger who changes planes at Incheon. IIAC counts each one on both the arriving and departing flight.
Border crossing
One person passing immigration control on arrival or departure. Transfer passengers who stay airside are not counted.
Transhipment cargo
Cargo that arrives on one flight and leaves on another without entering Korea.
Freighter
An aircraft that carries only cargo, as opposed to cargo carried in the hold of a passenger aircraft.
Non-scheduled flight
A charter or extra flight outside the published timetable.
AREX
The Airport Railroad Express, the rail line from Incheon to Seoul Station.
Smart Pass
Incheon's face-recognition system that lets registered passengers pass departure checks without showing documents.
A-CDM
Airport collaborative decision making, a system for sharing flight timings between the airport, airlines and air traffic control.
MRO
Maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft.
Phase 4
The 2017-2024 expansion that added Runway 4 and extended Terminal 2.
Scope 1 and 2
An organisation's direct emissions and those from the energy it buys. Scope 3 covers others at the airport, including aircraft.
Airport Carbon Accreditation
ACI's programme that certifies how airports measure and cut carbon emissions, from Level 1 up to Level 5.
RE100
A global group of organisations committed to using 100% renewable electricity.
Skytrax
A UK consultancy that runs the World Airport Awards from an online passenger survey.
Chuseok
The Korean autumn harvest holiday, one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

Methodology and sources

Figures come from IIAC's statistics database, web pages, corporate brochure, Green Report and press releases from 2023 to 2026, IIAC's filings on ALIO, Korea's transport ministry (MOLIT) and Ministry of Justice, ACI World, ACI Asia-Pacific, Airport Carbon Accreditation, Skytrax, Korean Air and the US National Travel and Tourism Office. Each figure links to the body that produced it, with the date. IIAC's count of arriving and departing passengers is the main series; ACI's international passenger rankings, the Ministry of Justice's border crossings and NTTO's US-route passengers are given only with their own labels and are not compared with it. IIAC's flights and MOLIT's flight plans are kept apart, as are IIAC's two transfer series, and IIAC's own emissions are shown on one basis only. Provisional figures, forecasts, plans and projections are labelled with who made them and when. The page is reviewed monthly and the date is shown at the top.