Passenger numbers at Incheon airport hit record high in summer season

SEOUL, Aug. 16 (Yonhap) -- The number of passengers using Incheon International Airport, South Korea's main gateway, during the one-month summer vacation period reached an all-time high this year, the airport operator said Tuesday.

The number of passengers arriving or departing from the airport in the summer peak season -- from July 16 to Aug. 15 -- reached 5,543,345, the highest number tallied since the airport opened in early 2001, according to Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC).

The figure is up 23.3 percent from the previous year, which stood at 4,280,641, IIAC said.

With a sharp rise in the number of South Koreans going abroad for summer vacation, a total of 200,082 people arrived at or departed from the airport via 1,042 flights on July 31 alone, setting an all-time record for a one day period, the airport authority said.

scaaet@yna.co.kr
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