Gimhae International Airport
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Gimhae International Airport (IATA: PUS, ICAO: RKPK) also known as Busan Airport is located on the western end of Busan, the second-largest city in South Korea. Opened in 1976, the airport is named after the nearby city of Gimhae. A new international terminal opened on 31 October 2007. Gimhae International Airport is the main hub for Air Busan and Korean Air, and an operating base for Jeju Air and Jin Air. Runway 18L/36R is used for military purposes only for Gimhae Air Base, but due to increasing traffic, there are plans to open the runway for airliners.[citation needed] In 2018, 17,064,613 passengers used the airport.
As the airport is now beyond its design capacity and surrounded by mountains, buildings and other objectives, a new airport is currently being built on Gadeokdo to meet growing demand. Because the airport is shared with military facilities, photography and video of the apron, runway, and military stations are prohibited according to the airport website.
History
In August 1976, Gimhae Airport opened, and commercial air traffic shifted there from the old airport. A new domestic terminal was completed in May 1983. Korean Air launched a route to Honolulu in October 1992. In April 2002, Northwest Airlines began service to its hub at Tokyo's Narita Airport, where people could board connecting flights to the United States. In March 2007, Lufthansa inaugurated service to Munich via Seoul. This was the first route between Busan and Europe. President Roh Moo-hyun opened a new international terminal seven months later. Delta Air Lines, which had merged with Northwest, ended the Tokyo link in May 2012. Lufthansa terminated its flight to Busan in March 2014.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Cargo
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Korean Air Cargo | Seoul–Incheon[citation needed] |
^1 Korean Air between Busan and Incheon is available only to passengers flying internationally to/from South Korea with Korean Air
Statistics
Passengers
| Air traffic statistics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Aircraft operations | Passenger volume | Cargo tonnage | |
| 2001 | 61,242 | 9,168,089 | 203,335 |
| 2002 | 60,090 | 9,173,288 | 204,464 |
| 2003 | 58,600 | 8,782,835 | 185,372 |
| 2004 | 52,212 | 7,674,153 | 175,850 |
| 2005 | 50,735 | 7,045,806 | 152,407 |
| 2006 | 52,935 | 7,071,037 | 135,607 |
| 2007 | 58,119 | 7,403,262 | 126,947 |
| 2008 | 59,575 | 7,202,117 | 113,710 |
| 2009 | 61,171 | 6,870,157 | 105,320 |
| 2010 | 62,225 | 8,160,546 | 119,390 |
| 2011 | 66,525 | 8,749,153 | 126,710 |
| 2012 | 71,713 | 9,196,090 | 121,256 |
| 2013 | 77,665 | 9,671,381 | 116,185 |
| 2014 | 78,646 | 10,378,867 | 123,242 |
| 2015 | 87,709 | 12,382,150 | 146,694 |
| 2016 | 99,358 | 14,900,815 | 185,472 |
| 2017 | 107,363 | 16,403,541 | 186,471 |
| 2018 | 110,924 | 17,064,613 | 183,507 |
| 2019 | 111,276 | 16,931,023 | 171,953 |
| 2020 | 53,150 | 7,235,652 | 48,250 |
| 2021 | 57,694 | 8,859,304 | 36,010 |
| 2022 | 61,733 | 10,027,097 | 55,555 |
| 2023 | 82,185 | 13,694,710 | 113,703 |
| 2024 | 94,870 | 15,752,458 | 146,816 |
| Source: Korea Airports Corporation Traffic Statistics |
Top carriers
In 2024, the ten carriers with the largest percentage of passengers flying into, out of, or through Gimhae International Airport are as follows:
| Rank | Carrier | Domestic passengers | International passengers | Total | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Air Busan | 2,578,382 | 2,784,308 | 5,362,690 | 34.04% |
| 2 | Jeju Air | 1,112,222 | 1,645,376 | 2,757,598 | 17.51% |
| 3 | Korean Air | 1,903,675 | 786,946 | 2,690,621 | 17.08% |
| 4 | Jin Air | 870,638 | 1,389,328 | 2,259,966 | 14.35% |
| 5 | VietJet Air | 792,974 | 792,974 | 5.03% | |
| 6 | T'way Air | 205,060 | 233,608 | 438,668 | 2.78% |
| 7 | Vietnam Airlines | 367,743 | 367,743 | 2.78% | |
| 8 | China Airlines | 220,593 | 220,593 | 1.40% | |
| 9 | Philippine Airlines | 126,449 | 126,449 | 0.8% | |
| 10 | Eastar Jet | 76,678 | 40,735 | 117,413 | 0.7% |
Top destinations
| Rank | Airport | Passengers | Top carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeju | 3,514,193 | Air Busan, Eastar Jet, Jeju Air, Jin Air, Korean Air |
| 2 | Seoul–Gimpo | 2,822,980 | Air Busan, Eastar Jet, Jeju Air, Jin Air, Korean Air, T'way Air |
| 3 | Seoul–Incheon | 409,482 | Jeju Air, Korean Air |
Ground transportation
Metro
Bus
Airport Limousine Bus
- Gimhae International Airport (from Airport to Busan station) International Terminal - Domestic Terminal - Jagalchi (Chungmudong)
- Gimhae International Airport (from Busan Station to Airport) - Airport (International Terminal)
- Gimhae International Airport (International Terminal) - Domestic Terminal - Yangwoon middle school
Regional Bus
- 1009 : Geumgok-dong ↔ Gimhae Airport ↔ Gadeok-do Sunchang
- 307 : Gimhae Airport ↔ Haeundae
- Gangseo No. 11 : Ulman ↔ Gimhae Int'l Airport ↔ Deokcheon station (Gupo Market)
- Gangseo No. 13 : Hadan ↔ Gimhae Int'l Airport ↔ Deokcheon station (Deokcheon JCT)
Intercity Bus
Masan, Changwon, Jinhae, Jangyu, Gimhae, Pohang, Gyeongju, Gumi, Dongdaegu, Ulsan, Eonyang, Yangsan, Gohyeon, Okpo, Jangseungpo
Incidents and accidents
- On January 31, 2001, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-40, operating as Japan Airlines Flight 958 was en route from Gimhae to Narita International Airport and narrowly avoided a mid-air collision with another Japan Airlines plane over Yaizu in Suruga Bay. All 250 people on the DC-10 were uninjured.[citation needed]
- On April 15, 2002, a Boeing 767-200ER, operating as Air China Flight 129 from Beijing Capital International Airport to Busan, crashed into a hill while trying to land at Gimhae during inclement weather, killing 129 of the 166 people on board.[citation needed]
- On 28 January 2025, an Airbus A321-200 operating as Air Busan Flight 391, caught fire before takeoff at Gimhae en route to Hong Kong, resulting in seven injuries and the evacuation of all 176 people on board.