Incheon Airport, average daily usage expected to reach 210,000 during the May Golden Holiday… Measures to address congestion prepared

Incheon International Airport is expecting more than 210,000 travelers to flock to the airport during the May Golden Holiday period, leading to significant congestion.

The Incheon International Airport Corporation projected a total of 1,482,274 airport users from April 30 to May 6.

The average daily user count is estimated at 211,753, with the maximum congestion expected on May 3, when 218,012 passengers are anticipated.

The projected daily passenger numbers are as follows: △April 30: 205,803 △May 1: 209,200 △May 2: 208,219 △May 3: 218,012 △May 4: 210,916 △May 5: 217,906 △May 6: 212,218.

A corporation official stated, "Departure on May 3 and arrival on May 5 are expected to be the most congested."

Tips for travelers and measures to alleviate congestion

To reduce congestion during the holiday period, Incheon Airport Corporation has prepared various measures. Passengers departing during the peak hours of 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. are advised to arrive at the airport three hours before departure. The airport plans to mitigate terminal congestion, experienced during the last Lunar New Year holiday, by opening check-in areas early, increasing security screening personnel, and expanding temporary parking lots.

Arriving at the airport three hours before departure

Since March, enhanced cabin baggage procedures have been in place, and preparing power banks and electronic cigarettes in advance also helps reduce airport congestion.

Placing power banks in transparent plastic bags or covering exposed terminals with insulation tape can shorten unnecessary inspection times during security checks.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport has been checking for power banks at security checkpoints in airports nationwide since the 10th, and providing plastic bags to passengers with batteries that lack short-circuit prevention measures.

Operation of temporary parking lots to address parking space shortages

During the Golden Holiday period, airport parking demand is expected to reach 114.6% of parking capacity.

Currently, Incheon Airport operates a total of eight large parking lots, including five in the First Passenger Terminal and three in the Second Passenger Terminal.

The total parking lot area is 1.8 million square meters, accommodating about 60,000 vehicles.

On weekdays, the Incheon Airport parking lot (First Passenger Terminal) sees usage rates of 85-90%, with 180,000 to 190,000 visitors. When the number of users exceeds 200,000, the parking lots become fully occupied. Therefore, the corporation plans to set up temporary parking lots in 67,000 square meters of space, including grassy areas in front of the airport building and around the helicopter landing area, to accommodate an additional 3,250 vehicles.

Incheon Airport is making thorough preparations for smooth operations during this Golden Holiday period and requests cooperation from travelers.

Image source: Travelers crowd the departure area of Incheon International Airport's First Passenger Terminal on the 1st, as the longest six-day bridge holiday begins. 2025.5.1/News1