Home > Business > Industry

Passenger traffic at Incheon Airport reaches record high in 2025

Published: 25 Jan. 2026, 19:32

This file photo provided by the Incheon International Airport Corporation shows a terminal crowded with passengers at Incheon International Airport. [INCHEON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT CORPORATION]

Passenger traffic at Incheon International Airport exceeded 74 million in 2025, driven by increased flights to and from Japan and China, the airport's operator said Sunday.

A total of 74.07 million passengers traveled through Korea's main gateway last year, marking the highest annual figure since the airport opened in 2001, according to Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC).

The 2025 total was up 4.1 percent from 71.15 million passengers recorded a year earlier.

"In particular, travel demand to Northeast Asian countries surged on the back of unusually long Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays, China's temporary visa waiver program and the weakness of the won, which boosted demand for alternative destinations such as Japan and China," the IIAC said.

On international routes, Southeast Asia accounted for 26.7 percent of passenger traffic last year, followed by Japan at 25.1 percent and China at 16.7 percent, with the remainder on other routes.

The share of Southeast Asian routes declined from 29.6 percent a year earlier, amid rising safety concerns following the death of a Korean college student in Cambodia last August in a suspected employment scam.

Overall freight volumes rose 0.3 percent on-year to 2.95 million tons last year, supported by increased belly cargo, which uses excess space on passenger aircraft to transport freight.

The IIAC said it expects passenger traffic this year to grow 2 to 6 percent on-year to between 75.54 million and 78.55 million.

Yonhap