More Than 230,000 People Expected to Pass Through Gimhae Airport During Chuseok Holiday, Averaging Over 46,000 a Day

[Financial News] More than 230,000 passengers are expected to use Gimhae International Airport during the Chuseok holiday from Sept. 23 to 27, including both departures and arrivals. A total of 817,731 people are expected to pass through the 13 airports nationwide operated by KAC during the period.
KAC will implement special transportation measures and strengthen passenger services at 13 airports nationwide, excluding Incheon and Muan, for five days starting Sept. 23.
The number of passengers expected to use Gimhae International Airport during the period is 230,875. The airport is expected to be busiest on Sept. 27, the final day of the holiday, when 48,576 people are projected to pass through. The figures are followed by 47,085 on Sept. 26, 45,980 on Sept. 24, 45,847 on Sept. 23, and 43,387 on Sept. 25.
A total of 1,388 domestic and international flights are scheduled at Gimhae International Airport during the Chuseok holiday. The number will be highest on Sept. 26, with 284 flights, followed by 282 on Sept. 27 and 276 each on Sept. 24 and 25.
The total number of passengers expected to use airports nationwide is 817,731, including 439,565 domestic passengers and 378,166 international passengers. The daily average is expected to reach 160,000, up 2% from the previous year. During last year's Chuseok holiday, from Oct. 3 to 12, 1.75 million people used airports nationwide, averaging 150,000 passengers a day.
As passenger numbers are expected to concentrate during the holiday, KAC secured 399 spaces at a temporary parking lot at Gimhae International Airport. This brings the total number of parking spaces at the airport to 5,823 for the Chuseok holiday. Nationwide, 6,605 additional spaces have been added, bringing the total to 30,885.
Ahead of the Chuseok holiday, KAC conducted a joint campaign on traffic order and illegal parking at Gimhae International Airport with relevant agencies. About 20 employees from KAC, Gangseo District, Gangseo Police Station, Airport Police Substation, and Airport Police Force divided into two teams to provide on-site guidance.
They urged drivers on airport roads and at taxi stands to drive at no more than 40 kilometers per hour and to leave immediately after dropping off or picking up passengers. Taxi drivers were also advised not to engage in touting, refuse passengers, or negotiate fares in consideration of foreign tourists visiting Busan.
At the crosswalk connecting the passenger parking lot and Daejeo 2-dong, officials handed out informational leaflets and drinks to passengers and asked them to use the airport parking lot and public transportation instead of roads inside the village. Banners were installed at seven locations, including airport roads and village access roads, calling for compliance with traffic rules and a ban on illegal parking in the village.
For three days starting Sept. 24, KAC will fully waive parking fees for vehicles belonging to families with multiple children, persons with disabilities, and persons of national merit who use domestic flights. Lee Je-yoon, acting head of Gimhae International Airport, said, "Traffic order inside the airport is closely tied to passenger safety, while parking order outside the airport affects the daily lives of nearby residents. I will work closely with relevant agencies and carefully monitor conditions on the ground so that both journeys home and trips away are comfortable."
[email protected] Baek Chang-hoon Reporter