Incheon Int’l Airport inks agreement with Hainan Airport Group to set up JV

 

 

Gimpo International Airport, the largest among 14 airports operated by the Korea Airport Corp., has been serving as another main air transport hub, linking Seoul with cities in Japan and China.

On top of operating domestic flights between Seoul and other local cities across the country, the airport manages daily flights linking Seoul with Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Shanghai. These are the busiest routes as tens of thousands of Koreans visit the two neighboring countries every year. Additionally, a growing number of Chinese and Japanese travelers have come here for shopping and other leisure services over the past few years.

In the latest ACI survey, Gimpo Airport was named the best airport among mid-range airports, while ranking sixth in overall service quality.

"Gimpo was included in the ACI service-quality survey for the first time this year. We were able to achieve such remarkable results because our employees and partners have made an all-out effort over the years to more efficiently operate the airport and improve customer service," KAC CEO Sung Si-chul said.

Over 47 million passengers traveled through its 14 airports last year, up from 41.7 million won in 2009. KAC earned 485.3 billion won, up from 433.7 billion won a year earlier, with its net profits jumping to 57.6 billion won from 42.6 billion won.

"We expect our bottom line to continue to improve down the road on the back of a soaring number of both domestic and foreign air travelers. We plan to nurture Gimpo Airport as an aviation hub for short-distance international routes, differentiating it from Incheon International Airport," Sung said.

To do so, we will lower airport user fees for airlines, as well as improve airport facilities, aviation safety and customer satisfaction, the CEO said. "We will also make more efforts to operate local airports grappling with chronic deficits. As part of plans to enhance their management, we have decided to sell the managerial rights of Cheongju International Airport to a private entity," he said.

Additionally, KAC has been investing heavily in aviation information technology (IT), developing its own products such as flight information system (FIS) and radio frequency identification (RFID). It has also been helping airports in developing countries manage flights and other operations in a more efficient and cost-effective manner.

"With the know-how gained from 28-years of airport management and operation, we have been providing consulting services to airports in the Philippines, Columbia and other developing nations. We will launch a more aggressive marketing campaign to expand our reach to other countries," Sung said. KAC has also invited and trained air-traffic controllers.

In a bid to attract more foreign travelers and better serve their needs, KAC will open a multi-million dollar leisure and shopping center, called Sky City, at Gimpo Airport by the end of the year. It will have everything to appeal to any leisure traveler’s needs, ranging from a hotel, shopping mall, hospital and even a theme park.

"We have also recently decided to build a 27-hole public golf course on land surrounding the airport. Sky City and other leisure facilities will definitely help us draw more non-Korean tourists and encourage them to spend more money here," the CEO stressed.