BUSAN < invest Korea

According to Yonhap News,

(BUSAN=Yonhap News) International passenger traffic at Gimhae airport surged 37.3 percent on-year in the first quarter of 2016, official data showed Friday.

According to the Busan Metropolitan Government and the transportation ministry, more than 1.92 million people used the Gimhae International Airport for overseas trips in the three month period.

Municipal sources said the spike is due to more routes connecting the airport to Japan, China and Taiwan, and a rise in the overall number of South Koreans going abroad and foreigners arriving in the country.

Gimhae's two runways mainly serve Busan, South Korea's largest sea port and No. 2 city, and the southeastern regions of the country. It is close to the industrial centers of Ulsan, Pohang and Geoje, as well as the historic city of Gyeongju.

In addition to the rise in international traffic, the number of domestic passengers processed by the airport shot up 18.1 percent compared to the year before to total 815,119.

The latest data showed that international cargo spiked 60.6 percent vis-a-vis the first quarter of 2015 to 31,261 tons, with the total number of flights jumping 32.7 percent on-year in the January-March period to 12,977.

"At present pace of growth, Gimhae will reach its maximum capacity in no time, which can pose serious problems," a Busan city official claimed.

He argued that there is a pressing need for the central government to make a decision on where it will build the new airport that will serve the whole of the Gyeongsang region.

Busan and its nearby cities favor Gadeok Island as the site of the new airport, while Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province want the new airport to be built in Milyang.

Gadeok is located between Busan and Geoje and lies some 420 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Milyang is located in the interior of the Gyeongsang region and is about 386 kilometers from the capital city.

yonngong@yna.co.kr

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