Gimhae International Airport Explained

Gimhae International Airport
Nativename:	Korean: 김해국제공항
Iata:	PUS
Icao:	RKPK
Pushpin Map:	South Korea
Pushpin Map Caption:	Location of airport in South Korea
Pushpin Label:	PUS/RKPK
Pushpin Label Position:	right
Type:	Public / Military
Owner:	Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
City-Served:	Busan–Gyeongnam Area and Gyeongsangdo
Location:	Gangseo District, Busan, South Korea
Hub:	Air Busan
Elevation-F:	6
Elevation-M:	2
Metric-Rwy:	yes
R1-Number:	18L/36R
R1-Length-F:	9,007
R1-Length-M:	2,743
R1-Surface:	Concrete
R2-Number:	18R/36L
R2-Length-F:	10,499
R2-Length-M:	3,200
R2-Surface:	Concrete
Stat-Year:	2023
Stat1-Header:	Aircraft movements
Stat1-Data:	82,185
Stat2-Header:	International Passengers
Stat2-Data:	6,521,513
Stat3-Header:	Domestic Passengers
Stat3-Data:	7,173,197
Stat4-Header:	Total Passengers
Stat4-Data:	13,694,710
Footnotes:	Sources: World Aero Data^[1] Korea Airports Corporation^[2]

Hangul:	김해국제공항
Hanja:	金海國際空港
Rr:	Gimhae Gukje Gonghang
Mr:	Kimhae Kukche Konghang

Gimhae International Airport is located on the western end of Busan, South Korea. Opened in 1976, the airport is named after the nearby city of Gimhae. A new international terminal opened on October 31, 2007.^[3] Gimhae International Airport is the main hub for Air Busan, and a focus city for Jeju Air, Jin Air and Korean 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. 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.^[4] ^[5] 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.^[6]

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.^[7] Korean Air launched a route to Honolulu in October 1992.^[8] 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.^[9] ^[10] In March 2007, Lufthansa inaugurated service to Munich via Seoul. This was the first route between Busan and Europe.^[11] ^[12] President Roh Moo-hyun opened a new international terminal seven months later.^[13] Delta Air Lines, which had merged with Northwest, ended the Tokyo link in May 2012. Lufthansa terminated its flight to Busan in March 2014.^[14]

Airlines and destinations

Cargo

Traffic and 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
Source: Korea Airports Corporation Traffic Statistics^[15]

Top carriers

In 2023, the ten carriers with the largest percentage of passengers flying into, out of, or through Gimhae International Airport are as follows:

**Top carriers (2023)**
Rank	Carrier	Domestic passengers	International passengers	Total	%
1	Air Busan	2,673,226	2,215,355	4,888,581	35.69%
2	Jeju Air	1,181,256	1,540,566	2,721,822	19.87%
3	Korean Air	1,893,205	363,069	2,256,274	16.48%
4	Jin Air	764,035	800,481	1,564,516	11.42%
5	T'way Air	605,581	136,044	741,625	5.42%
6	VietJet Air		591,285	591,285	4.32%
7	Vietnam Airlines		319,960	319,960	2.34%
8	Philippine Airlines		128,063	128,063	1.06%
9	China Airlines		80,303	80,303	0.09%
10	Tigerair Taiwan		79,303	79,303	0.06%

Top destinations

**Busiest domestic routes (2023)**
Rank	Airport	Passengers 2023	Flight	Top carriers
1	Jeju	3,579,946	20,198	Air Busan, Jeju Air, Jin Air, Korean Air
2	Seoul–Gimpo	3,275,774	21,146	Air Busan, Air Seoul, Jeju Air, Jin Air, Korean Air, T'way Air
3	Seoul–Incheon	317,477	2,552	Air Busan, Jeju Air, Korean Air

**Busiest international routes (2023)**
Rank	Airport	Passengers 2023	Flight	Top carriers
1	Fukuoka	992,602	5,375	Air Busan, Jeju Air, Jin Air, Korean Air
2	Osaka–Kansai	896,882	4,748	Air Busan, Jeju Air, Korean Air, T'way Air
3	Tokyo–Narita	551,899	3,410	Air Busan, Jeju Air, Jin Air, Korean Air
4	Taipei–Taoyuan	541,108	3,502	Air Busan, China Airlines, Tigerair Taiwan, Jeju Air, Jin Air, Korean Air
5	Da Nang	493,750	2,882
6	Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi	391,197	2,143	Air Busan, Jeju Air, Jin Air
7		307,313	1,625	Air Busan, Jeju Air, VietJet Air
8		295,356	1,449	VietJet Air, Vietnam Airlines
9	Hanoi	291,821	1,460	VietJet Air, Vietnam Airlines
10	Cebu	250,768	1,465	Air Busan, Jeju Air, Jin Air
11	Sapporo–Chitose	166,137	961	Air Busan, Jin Air
12	Guam	138,773	961	Jeju Air, Jin Air
13	Manila	116,274	696	Philippine Airlines
14	Clark	108,564	824	Air Busan, Jin Air, Philippine Airlines
15	Singapore	103,090	722	Jeju Air, Singapore Airlines

Ground transportation

Metro

Busan-Gimhae Light Rail Transit : Gimhae International Airport Station

Bus

Airport Limousine Bus

Gimhae International Airport (from Airport to Busan station) International Terminal - Domestic Terminal - Paik Hospital intersection - Gaya Homeplus mart - Gaya Hyudai apt - Seomyeon (Lotte Hotel Busan) - Seomyeon, Busan - Beomil (Hyundai dep. store) - Jin market - Busanjin station (Busan Metro) - Busan station - Toyoko inn Hotel - Jungang - Guangbokdong Lotte dep. store - Nampo - Jagalchi (Chungmudong)
Gimhae International Airport (from Busan Station to Airport) Jagalchi (Chungmudong) - Nampo - Guangbokdong Lotte dep. store - Jungang - Yeongjudong - Busan station - Busanjin station (Busan Metro) - Beomil (Hyundai dep. store) -Seomyeon, Busan (Judies Taehwa) - Seomyeon (Lotte Hotel Busan) - Gaya Hyudai apt - Gaya Homeplus mart - Paik Hospital intersection - Airport (International Terminal)
Gimhae International Airport (International Terminal) - Domestic Terminal - Namcheon (Namcheondong) - Gwangan (Gwangandong) - Suyeong (Suyeong Intersection) - Millak (Suyeong Hyudai apt) - Centum City (Centum hotel) - Bexco - Olympic intersection - Gyeongnam Marina apt - Hyundai park hiatt hotel - Hanhwa resort - Hyperion - Westin Chosun Hotel - Grand Hotel - Novotel Ambassador - Paradise Hotel - Mipo, moon-ten road - Remian Haeundae apt - Hyundai ipark apt - Jangsan - Haeundae Paik Hospital - Dongbu apartment - Daelim 1cha apt - Yangwoon high school - Yangwoon middle school - Yangwoon high school - Daedong apt - Dongbu apartment - Haeundae Paik Hospital - Jangsan Station - Hyundai ipark apt - Remian Haeundae apt - Mipo, moon-ten road - Novotel Ambassador - Paradise Hotel - Seacloud hotel - Grand Hotel - Westin Chosun Hotel - Hyperion - Hanhwa resort - Hyundai park hiatt hotel - Gyeongnam Marina apt - Olympic intersection - Homeplus mart - Centum City (Centum hotel) - Millak (Suyeong Hyudai apt) - Suyeong (Suyeong Intersection) - Gwangan (Gwangandong) - Namcheon (Namcheondong) - Airport (International Terminal, Departure) - Domestic Terminal, Arrival - the bus operates from 06:50 to 22:00, every 15~20 minutes

Express Bus

1009 : Geumgok-dong ↔ Deokcheon station ↔ Gupo station ↔ Gangseo-gu Office ↔ Gimhae Airport ↔ Myeongji ↔ Noksan indus. complex ↔ Busan New Port ↔ Gadeok-do Sunchang The bus operates from 05:20 to 20:50, every 40 minutes (Depart from Geumgok)

City Bus

307 : Gimhae Airport ↔ Gangseo-gu Office ↔ Gupo station ↔ Gupo Market ↔ Deokcheon station ↔ Mandeok ↔ Dongnae ↔ Centum City (BEXCO) ↔ Haeundae The bus operates 05:15, from 06:15 to 23:20, every 15~20 minutes

Village Bus

Gangseo No. 11 : Ulman ↔ Gimhae Int'l Airport ↔ Gangseo-gu Office ↔ Buk-gu Office ↔ Gupo station ↔ Deokcheon station (Gupo Market)
Gangseo No. 13 : Hadan ↔ Eulsukdo ↔ Myeongji ↔ Deokdu ↔ Gimhae Int'l Airport ↔ Gangseo-gu Office ↔ Buk-gu Office ↔ Gupo station ↔ Gupo Market ↔ 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.
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.

References

Web site: usurped. Airport information for RKPK. https://web.archive.org/web/20190305143444/http://worldaerodata.com/wad.cgi?airport=RKPK. 2019-03-05. World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.
Web site: http://www.airport.co.kr/user/wwweng/3197/stats/airportStats/jsp/LayOutPage.do . ko:Kac 한국공항공사 . 2016-03-18 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151220084111/http://www.airport.co.kr/user/wwweng/3197/stats/airportStats/jsp/LayOutPage.do . 2015-12-20 .
Web site: http://www.naeil.com/News/politics/ViewNews.asp?nnum=366197&sid=E&tid=2 . https://archive.today/20120630055404/http://www.naeil.com/News/politics/ViewNews.asp?nnum=366197&sid=E&tid=2 . dead . 2012-06-30 . ko:김해국제공항 '하늘길 두 배로' . 2007-11-06 .
News: (LEAD) Gov't committee virtually scraps new Gimhae airport project . 22 November 2020 . . 17 November 2020 . en.
Web site: South Gyeongsang Province seeks to name new airport after heroic admiral . 22 August 2023 .
Web site: Gimhae Airport (PUS) Gimhae International Airport . 2024-02-06 . Gimhae Airport . en-GB.
Web site: https://www.airport.co.kr/gimhae/cms/frCon/index.do?MENU_ID=360 . ko:공항소개 . Gimhae International Airport . 24 April 2024 . ko.
Web site: Korean Air 50 Years History Volume 1: History . Korean Air . November 2019 . 24 April 2024 . ko . 210.
News: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20120209098700051 . Yonhap News Agency . 9 February 2012 . 24 April 2024 . Kim, Seon-ho . ko:델타항공, 5월부터 김해공항 완전 철수 . ko.
News: Northwest's traffic pushed up in January by holiday, Asia flights . Star Tribune . 6 February 2003 . Fedor, Liz . .
News: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20131108090100051 . ko:루프트한자, 부산 유일 유럽노선 내년 4월 단항 . . 8 November 2013 . 24 July 2022 . Kim, Seon-ho . Korean.
News: https://www.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2007/02/22/2007022201123.html . The Chosun Ilbo . 22 February 2007 . 26 April 2024 . Kwon, Kyung-hoon . ko:부산~뮌헨 루프트한자 취항 . ko.
News: https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1000330649 . SBS News . 31 October 2007 . Yonhap News Agency . 24 April 2024 . ko:김해공항 국제선 신청사, 착공 5년만에 오픈 . ko.
News: Busan-Amsterdam air route to be launched in late October . . 25 September 2015 . 24 July 2022 . Seo, Ji-yeon.
Web site: Air Traffic Statistics. live. 23 July 2023. Incheon International Airport. https://web.archive.org/web/20200114133303/https://www.airport.kr/co/en/cpr/statisticOfLocalAirport.do . 2020-01-14 .