Its flawless opening back in 2001 made it one of the most successful examples of a government project in
the history of airports and the pride of Korea. On March 29th, 2009, Incheon International Airport celebrates
the eighth anniversary of its opening.
Incheon International's flawless opening was followed by stable and solid operations that pushed the
airport to become one of the world's premier international airports, with operational efficiency and services
expanding by leaps and bounds.
The passenger volume that began with at 'just' 14.5 million in 2001 rose above 30 million passengers per
year in 2007. Incheon International went passed the 100 million mark in total accumulated passengers
in 2005, and took just three years to go past 200 million in just three additional years.
As for the amount of cargo, IIAC saw its cargo traffic skyrocket from 1.7 million tons in 2002, averaging an
annual growth rate of 8.6% to 2.55 million tons in 2007, becoming the second largest airport in the world in
the amount of cargo handled. IIAC also kept its ratio of transfer cargo above 50%, proving itself the
international logistics hub that it claims to be.
Though the recent worldwide economic downturn has resulted in a decrease in passenger volume and
cargo traffic, yet the hub strategy pursued by IIAC and the ROK government in tandem is beginning to
pay off, with IIAC's passenger transfer rate that remained constant at 11-12% increasing to 15%, signifying
a breakthrough as an international travel hub.
The attention and love that the Korean people have shown IIAC has allowed it to become more than an
airport handling cargo, as IIAC is now a premier gateway to Korea, where 72.3% of all persons arriving
in and leaving Korea pass through, as well as a main trade entrepot taking up 21.6% of the value of all
exports and imports. The airport is expected to generate 40 trillion wons (US$30 billion) in terms of new
production, 21 trillion wons in added value, and 500,000 jobs in 2010, becoming a backbone of the Korean
economy.
IIAC has also garnered respect in Korea in management, services, and labor-management relation by a
plethora of remarkable accomplishments and accolades. The list includes being named the best airport in
the ACI-ASQ Survey for four years running, the best airport according to Global Traveler Magazine, grand
prize for sustainable management, recognition The Most Respected Corporation in Korea, and Grand Prize
for Labor-Management Cooperation.
In order to set itself apart from other airports as well as ensure competitive advantage, IIAC decided to
infuse the entire airport with ten cultural facilities including the concept of culture, bringing in a culture
gallery, a culture museum, and traditional culture exhibit hall, dazzling the senses of all travelers walking
into the airport.
Incheon International Airport is also the leader in airport services, a state-of-the-art ubiquitous airport
(U-Airport) complete with the best of IT and BT, including self check-in machines, U-Mobile stations,
and automated entry-exit counters.
Incheon International Airport is also exporting its know-how overseas, signing an airport operations
support agreement with Iraq's Irbil International Airport for US$31.5 million recently, with consulting requests
from airports in the Philippines, Mongolia, and other countries from around the world seeking to use
Incheon International Airport's construction and operational know-how as benchmarks.
IIAC is resolved to remake itself as the leading corporate name in the world in airport operations and
services, and the most well-known of all of Korea's corporations.
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