Incheon airport braces for record foreign arrivals, with up to 60,000 expected per day

Incheon International Airport expects more than 50,000 foreign nationals a day from Sept. 30 to Oct. 3, with arrivals possibly reaching 60,000 on Oct. 2. In response, the Incheon Airport Immigration Office will run emergency measures for four days starting Sept. 30. Staffing will increase at arrival and departure halls, and some departure halls will open earlier during the holiday period.

The office expects 198,000 to 220,000 foreign nationals to enter through Incheon International Airport over the four-day period from Sept. 30 to Oct. 3.

The projected daily average of 49,500 to 55,000 arrivals is above last year’s daily average of 45,640 from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4.

The number of immigration officers assigned to arrival halls will rise to 188 from 128 under normal operations and 166 during special measures periods.

Departure Hall No. 2 and No. 4 at Terminal 1 will open 30 minutes earlier than usual, and Departure Hall No. 2 at Terminal 2 will also open early at 5 a.m.

Published Sep 19, 2026 3:22 pm KST

Updated Sep 19, 2026 3:26 pm KST

Travelers crowd the departure floor at Incheon International Airport, July 22. Yonhap

More than 50,000 foreign nationals are expected to enter Korea through Incheon International Airport each day from Sept. 30 to Oct. 3, around China's National Day holiday on Oct. 1, prompting immigration authorities to activate emergency measures.

According to the Incheon Airport Immigration Office under the Ministry of Justice, Thursday, between 198,000 and 220,000 foreign nationals are expected to enter the country through Incheon International Airport over the four-day period. That translates to an average of 49,500 to 55,000 arrivals per day, well above the daily average of 45,640 recorded from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4 last year.

The number of foreign arrivals is expected to reach as many as 60,000 on Oct. 2, ahead of the weekend. That would slightly exceed this year's record high of 59,000 foreign arrivals in a single day.

In response, the Incheon Airport Immigration Office will implement emergency measures for four days starting Sept. 30. The number of immigration officers assigned to arrival halls will be increased to 188, up from 128 during normal operations and 166 during special measures periods such as holiday seasons. The number of officers handling departures will also increase from 38 to 54.

Departure halls will also open earlier for 12 days from Sept. 30 through Oct. 11, the final day of the Hangeul Day holiday period. Departure halls No. 2 and No. 4 at Terminal 1 will open 30 minutes earlier than usual, at 5:30 a.m. and 6 a.m., respectively. Departure Hall No. 2 at Terminal 2 will also open early at 5 a.m.

The Incheon Airport Immigration Office will also implement special measures during the Chuseok holiday period from Sept. 24 to 27, when daily passenger traffic is forecast to reach a peak of 245,318 on Sept. 27, including an increase in immigration staffing.

Kim Jeong-do, head of the Incheon Airport Immigration Office, said the agency would adjust employees' commuting schedules and deploy personnel from nonscreening departments, including document inspection, to immigration screening duties to prevent staffing gaps.

"We will also increase the number of supervisors in immigration halls and strengthen advance monitoring of foreign nationals to prevent congestion," Kim said.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

仁川国际机场预计9月30日至10月3日期间，每日将有超过5万名外国旅客入境，10月2日入境人数可能达到6万人。为此，仁川机场出入境管理处将从9月30日起实施为期四天的紧急措施。届时，到达和出发大厅将增加工作人员，部分出发大厅将在假期期间提前开放。

该机构预计，从9月30日至10月3日的四天时间里，将有19.8万至22万外国公民经由仁川国际机场入境。

预计每日平均入境人数为 49,500 至 55,000 人次，高于去年 9 月 30 日至 10 月 4 日的每日平均入境人数 45,640 人次。

正常情况下，入境大厅的移民官员人数为 128 人，特殊措施期间为 166 人，届时将增至 188 人。

1号航站楼2号和4号出发大厅将比平时提前30分钟开放，2号航站楼2号出发大厅也将提前至早上5点开放。

发布于2026年9月19日下午3:22（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年9月19日下午3:26（韩国标准时间）

7月22日，旅客们挤满了仁川国际机场的出发大厅。（韩联社）

预计从9月30日至10月3日，每天将有超过5万名外国公民经由仁川国际机场进入韩国，这正值10月1日中国国庆节假期前后，促使韩国移民局启动紧急措施。

据韩国法务部仁川机场出入境管理局周四发布的消息，预计未来四天内将有19.8万至22万名外国公民经仁川国际机场入境韩国。这意味着平均每天入境人数将达到4.95万至5.5万人次，远高于去年9月30日至10月4日期间平均每天4.564万人次的入境人数。

预计10月2日周末前，外国入境人数将达到6万人。这将略高于今年单日外国入境人数5.9万人的最高纪录。

为应对疫情，仁川机场出入境管理处将于9月30日起实施为期四天的紧急措施。入境大厅的出入境管理人员数量将从正常运营期间的128人增加到188人，节假日等特殊措施期间的人员数量则为166人。同时，负责出境的出入境管理人员数量也将从38人增加到54人。

从9月30日至10月11日（韩文日假期最后一天），出发大厅将提前开放12天。1号航站楼的2号和4号出发大厅将分别提前30分钟开放，即早上5:30和6:00。2号航站楼的2号出发大厅也将提前至早上5:00开放。

仁川机场出入境管理处将在9月24日至27日的中秋节假期期间实施特别措施，预计9月27日每日旅客吞吐量将达到245318人次的峰值，其中包括增加出入境工作人员。

仁川机场出入境管理处处长金正道表示，该机构将调整员工的通勤时间，并将包括文件检查在内的非筛查部门人员调派到出入境筛查岗位，以防止人员短缺。

金表示：“我们还将增加入境大厅的监管人员数量，并加强对外国公民的预先监控，以防止拥堵。”

本文来自《韩国日报》（《韩国时报》的姊妹报），由人工智能生成系统翻译，并由《韩国时报》编辑。