The South Korean hub passed the 800,000 mark after 23 years and three months of operation. The achievement was celebrated at an event organised by Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC). Some 80 guests celebrated in the airport’s baggage handling area, among them IIAC president Lee Hag Jae, the Airport Operator’s Committee (AOC-I) secretary general Im Sung-take, and representatives of five ground handling companies – Korea Airport, Asiana Airport, Sharp Aviation K, Swissport, and JAS.
President Lee Hag Jae expressed his gratitude to the ground handling companies responsible for baggage operations, presenting them with tokens of appreciation.
Since reaching the 100 million pieces of baggage handled figure in February 2006, Incheon Airport has shown a robust annual growth rate of 9% (between 2001 and 2019), swiftly expanding its baggage handling capacity. Despite a slowdown in baggage growth due to reduced air travel demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, recent declarations of full airport operation normalisation in August 2023 have spurred recovery in air travel demand. This resurgence led to Incheon reaching the 800 million mark on July 2, 2024, just two years and six months after achieving 700 million pieces in December 2021.
Incheon Airport processes an average of 168,000 baggage pieces daily. This is close to 98% of pre-COVID 19 levels seen in 2019 (171,000 pieces).
To proactively meet rising demand, IIAC continues to expand baggage handling infrastructure and introduce advanced technologies. The airport’s current baggage handling system spans 141km with an area of 375,610m2. Upon completion of the Terminal 2 expansion project by the end of this year, an additional 43km of conveyor belts and supplementary facilities will be added, bringing the total to 184km.
Lee Hag Jae said: “I extend my sincere gratitude to the ground handling companies and all stakeholders who have diligently contributed to reaching the milestone of 800 million baggage pieces handled since the airport’s inception.
“Moving forward, we will accelerate our digital transformation leveraging big data, digital twins, robotics, AI, and other advanced technologies to strengthen the future competitiveness of our baggage infrastructure and provide even better airport services to our passengers.”
