The number of passengers traveling via Incheon International Airport reached an all-time annual high of 35.14 million this year, solidifying its status as one of the busiest airports in the world, its operator said Monday.
Travelers using the nation’s main gateway, located west of Seoul, surpassed the previous year’s tally of 35.06 million people as of Sunday, according to airport officials.
The airport is expected to register 38.9 million travelers by the end of the year, 5.9 million higher than the number forecast to use Japan’s Narita International Airport, its major rival in the Northeast Asian region, officials added.
The jump is attributed to increased air routes, high airport service quality and South Korea’s efforts to forge open-skies agreements with other countries as a means to expand flight services abroad, officials said. (Yonhap News)