Kim Beom-ho, Acting President of Incheon International Airport Corporation: "We Will Defend Our Position as the World’s No. 1 Airport for International Passengers"

[Financial News] Kim Beom-ho, acting president of Incheon International Airport Corporation, expressed this strong ambition and sense of responsibility for the future at the site of the 2026 World Aviation Conference (WAC), which successfully concluded at Paradise City Incheon on the 10th. The ninth WAC drew more than 1,300 airport and aviation industry leaders from around the world, setting a new attendance record. They discussed a paradigm shift in airports through the integration of artificial intelligence and strategies for the future.
For Kim, who has spent all 35 years of his career at the airport, this year carries more significance than any other. Having served as acting president for six months, he reflected, "This is a truly special year, marking the 25th anniversary of Incheon International Airport’s opening, the fastest-ever milestone of surpassing 1 billion cumulative passengers, and the first time since its opening that it has ranked No. 1 worldwide in international passenger traffic during the first half of the year."
In the first half of this year, Incheon International Airport handled 38.39 million international passengers, proudly ranking first among 1,234 airports worldwide. The achievement resulted from immediately absorbing transfer passenger demand displaced by geopolitical instability in the Middle East through Incheon International Airport’s extensive air network, which serves 183 cities in 53 countries.
Kim, who has witnessed Incheon International Airport’s history since joining in 1992, called it "a tremendous achievement that was unimaginable when the airport first opened." He emphasized, "This was by no means the result of the airport’s efforts alone. It was created through the government’s support for aviation policy, the dedication of more than 94,000 airport employees and affiliates, and the steadfast support of the public."
His focus is now on defending the airport’s position as the world’s No. 1. Kim outlined a specific defense strategy, saying, "We will establish a system for continuously generating demand so that this No. 1 ranking in international passenger traffic does not remain a one-time achievement." To that end, the airport plans to significantly support new airlines operating key long-haul routes to North America and Europe by providing landing fee and marketing cost assistance. It also plans to actively encourage interline agreements among airlines to further strengthen the foundation for transfer passenger demand.
Beyond quantitative growth, Incheon International Airport is accelerating efforts to provide world-class customer convenience. Among the advanced technologies discussed at this year’s WAC, Kim highlighted Frankfurt Airport’s “360-degree walk-through security screening scanner” as a particularly impressive innovation. The system uses artificial intelligence to detect prohibited items in real time while passengers simply keep walking instead of stopping. He added, "We will monitor such innovative technologies and identify ways to minimize bottlenecks in the security screening process."
Above all, the airport is devoting every effort to expanding its domestic network to improve convenience that passengers can immediately experience and reduce congestion within the airport. Kim said, "To dramatically improve convenience for Korean citizens, particularly international passengers traveling to destinations in the provinces, we have increased the Incheon–Jeju route to three flights per week."
The Incheon–Jeju route, which began operating in May, is considered to have successfully established itself, with foreign passengers accounting for more than 30% of travelers. He explained, "This will spare not only foreign passengers but also Jeju residents traveling overseas the inconvenience of transferring through Gimpo International Airport."
Finally, Kim pledged, "Incheon International Airport will continue to embrace an even greater sense of responsibility as the people’s airport and the steadfast gateway to the Republic of Korea. We will faithfully fulfill the airport’s fundamental functions of providing greater convenience, speed, and safety, firmly establishing ourselves as a truly global No. 1 airport loved by people around the world and a source of pride for the Korean people."
[email protected] Kim Dong-ho Reporter