Incheon airport's network fiasco raises questions over crisis readiness

Incheon International Airport’s reliance on external network providers was highlighted by a check-in outage that began around 4:30 a.m. Friday and disrupted 13 airlines across both terminals. The disruption delayed 38 flights and left around 1,200 passengers waiting, while three airlines switched to manual procedures. The incident renewed calls for stronger backup networks, clear manual procedures and regular emergency-system tests. The airport’s acting leadership may face limits in driving long-term measures.

Incheon International Airport has used ARINC’s common-use check-in system since 2014, and the platform serves more than 300 airlines and around 150 airports worldwide.

A similar ticketing-system failure at Incheon in June 2018 delayed 18 international flights, mainly operated by low-cost carriers, and led staff to issue tickets manually.

During the latest disruption, the airport operator deployed additional staff to manage queues and requested more immigration officers.

In the first half of this year, Incheon International Airport handled 38.39 million international passengers, ranking first worldwide for the period under Airports Council International statistics.

IIAC Acting President Kim Bum-ho has led the organization without an officially appointed chief executive since March, and the government is widely expected to appoint the next leader no later than this year.

Published Nov 2, 2026 2:31 pm KST

Repeated disruptions call for stronger backup systems

Passengers crowd check-in counters at Incheon International Airport’s Terminal 1, Friday, after a network disruption affected airline operations, forcing three carriers to suspend ticketing services. Yonhap

Incheon International Airport’s latest check-in disruption has exposed its vulnerability to failures at external network providers, prompting calls for stronger contingency systems.

The outage began around 4:30 a.m. Friday, when connectivity problems hit the global network of U.S.-based aviation communications provider ARINC, disrupting check-in operations at 13 airlines across both terminals.

It delayed 38 flights and left around 1,200 passengers waiting at the airport, according to Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC). By the afternoon, ticketing operations at China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Air China had nearly ground to a halt, forcing them to switch to manual procedures.

The latest network fiasco clearly shows a structural vulnerability in airport operations. International airports and airlines rely on global IT providers to exchange passenger and reservation information, coordinate check-in procedures and issue boarding passes.

Such platforms allow carriers to operate across multiple airports without building entirely separate systems at each location.

However, reliance on a shared network also means a single provider failure can disrupt multiple airlines simultaneously.

A flight delay notice is displayed on an information board at Incheon International Airport’s Terminal 1, Friday, following a network outage that disrupted check-in operations at three airlines. Yonhap

The Incheon airport has used ARINC’s common-use check-in system since 2014. The platform is widely adopted across the aviation industry, serving more than 300 airlines and around 150 airports worldwide.

Replacing such infrastructure or moving away from global service providers would therefore be difficult and could create compatibility problems for international operations.

That does not, however, absolve the airport operator of responsibility for preparing for disruptions. The latest incident raises questions over whether existing backup arrangements can maintain essential passenger services when external networks fail, and how quickly the operator can coordinate recovery efforts with airlines and technology providers.

In June 2018, a failure involving a similar ticketing system at the Incheon airport delayed 18 international flights, mainly operated by low-cost carriers. Airline staff had to issue tickets manually after the system stopped working, causing long queues at check-in counters.

The recurrence of similar problems over the years suggests that restoring services after an outage is not a sufficient response to a vulnerability that has persisted.

The airport operator deployed additional staff to manage queues and requested more immigration officers during last week’s disruption. But such measures address the immediate passenger congestion rather than the underlying dependence on external networks.

“The Incheon airport needs to build more robust backup networks, clearly defined manual procedures and regular tests of emergency systems involving airlines and external providers to minimize damages from a potential recurrence of such incidents,” an aviation industry official said.

This is crucial to improving the airport’s global reputation as one of Asia’s major international aviation hubs, as repeated disruptions to check-in and boarding procedures can end up losing passenger confidence.

In the first half of this year, Incheon International Airport handled 38.39 million international passengers, ranking first worldwide during the period for the first time under Airports Council International statistics.

The airport’s ability to respond decisively to such disruptions may also be constrained by a leadership vacuum. IIAC Acting President Kim Bum-ho has overseen the organization in the absence of an officially appointed chief executive since March this year.

While the acting leadership can manage day-to-day operations, there are clear limitations for him to drive major decisions and push through comprehensive measures to address systemic vulnerabilities under a long-term perspective, as the government is widely expected to appoint the next leader no later than this year.

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Check-in system at Incheon airport restored after hourslong disruption

仁川国际机场对外部网络供应商的依赖性在周五凌晨4点30分左右发生的值机系统故障中暴露无遗。此次故障影响了两个航站楼共13家航空公司的服务，导致38个航班延误，约1200名乘客滞留。其中三家航空公司被迫启用人工操作流程。此次事件再次引发了人们对加强备用网络、制定清晰的人工操作流程以及定期进行应急系统测试的呼吁。机场代理管理层在推动长期措施方面可能面临诸多限制。

仁川国际机场自 2014 年起使用 ARINC 的通用值机系统，该平台为全球 300 多家航空公司和约 150 个机场提供服务。

2018 年 6 月，仁川机场也曾发生过类似的票务系统故障，导致 18 个国际航班延误，这些航班主要由廉价航空公司运营，并导致工作人员不得不手动出票。

在最近一次混乱期间，机场运营商增派了工作人员来管理排队秩序，并要求增派移民官员。

今年上半年，仁川国际机场接待国际旅客3839万人次，根据国际机场协会的统计数据，位居全球第一。

自 3 月以来，IIAC 代理会长金范浩一直领导着这个没有正式任命的首席执行官的组织，外界普遍预期政府最迟将于今年任命下一任领导人。

发布于2026年11月2日下午2:31（韩国标准时间）

反复出现的故障需要更强大的备用系统

周五，由于网络中断影响了航空公司的运营，导致三家航空公司暂停售票服务，乘客们涌入仁川国际机场1号航站楼的办理登机手续柜台。韩联社

仁川国际机场最近一次值机中断事件暴露了其在外部网络供应商故障面前的脆弱性，引发了人们对加强应急系统的呼吁。

故障始于周五凌晨 4 点 30 分左右，当时总部位于美国的航空通信提供商 ARINC 的全球网络出现连接问题，导致两个航站楼内 13 家航空公司的值机业务中断。

据仁川国际机场公司（IIAC）称，此次事故导致38个航班延误，约1200名乘客滞留在机场。到下午，中国南方航空、中国东方航空和中国国际航空的售票业务几乎完全停滞，被迫转为人工操作。

最近的网络故障清楚地表明了机场运营的结构性脆弱性。国际机场和航空公司依赖全球IT供应商来交换乘客和预订信息、协调值机流程以及发放登机牌。

此类平台使航空公司能够在多个机场运营，而无需在每个地点建立完全独立的系统。

然而，依赖共享网络也意味着单个供应商的故障可能会同时影响多家航空公司。

周五，仁川国际机场1号航站楼的信息牌上显示了航班延误通知，此前由于网络故障，三家航空公司的值机业务受到影响。（韩联社）

仁川机场自 2014 年起使用 ARINC 的通用值机系统。该平台在航空业得到广泛应用，为全球 300 多家航空公司和约 150 个机场提供服务。

因此，更换此类基础设施或摆脱全球服务提供商将会很困难，并且可能会给国际运营带来兼容性问题。

然而，这并不能免除机场运营方应对突发事件的责任。最近发生的这起事件引发了人们的疑问：现有的备用方案能否在外部网络故障时维持必要的旅客服务，以及运营方能否迅速与航空公司和技术供应商协调恢复工作。

2018年6月，仁川机场类似的票务系统发生故障，导致18个国际航班延误，这些航班主要由廉价航空公司运营。系统停止运行后，航空公司工作人员不得不手动出票，造成值机柜台排起长队。

多年来类似问题的反复出现表明，在服务中断后恢复服务不足以应对持续存在的漏洞。

上周的交通中断期间，机场运营方增派了人手疏导排队，并请求增派移民官员。但这些措施只能缓解眼前的旅客拥堵，而无法解决对外部网络的根本依赖问题。

一位航空业官员表示：“仁川机场需要建立更强大的备用网络、明确的手动操作程序，并定期对涉及航空公司和外部供应商的应急系统进行测试，以最大限度地减少此类事件再次发生可能造成的损失。”

这对于提升机场作为亚洲主要国际航空枢纽之一的全球声誉至关重要，因为反复中断值机和登机程序最终会导致乘客失去信心。

今年上半年，仁川国际机场接待国际旅客3839万人次，根据国际机场协会的统计数据，首次位居同期全球第一。

机场应对此类突发事件的果断能力也可能受到领导层真空的限制。自今年3月以来，在正式任命的首席执行官缺席的情况下，IIAC代理总裁金范浩一直负责管理该机构。

虽然代理领导人可以管理日常运作，但他在推动重大决策和从长远角度推进全面措施以解决系统性脆弱性方面存在明显的局限性，因为人们普遍预期政府最迟将于今年任命下一任领导人。

大韩航空数据泄露事件暴露了航空公司网络安全的盲点

仁川机场值机系统在中断数小时后恢复正常