Last year, the delay rate of flights operated by domestic airlines exceeded 15 minutes and showed a slight increase compared to the previous year, with the delay rate caused by airport issues such as entry and exit procedures rising the most.
According to data submitted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to Lee Yeon-hee of the Democratic Party of Korea on the 13th, the percentage of aircraft delays attributed to 'airport and entry and exit procedures' rose to 14.7%, an increase of 5.9 percentage points compared to the previous year. The detailed codes for this category include 'departure airport restrictions', 'airport facilities (insufficient parking and congestion)', 'Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine (CIQ)', 'security screening', 'gate shortages', and 'destination airport restrictions.'
Specifically, the number of flights delayed over 15 minutes due to departure airport restrictions was the highest at about 24,000 cases, soaring from over 4,500 cases in 2023 to over 15,900 cases. Reasons categorized as departure airport restrictions include temporary runway closures, a shortage of airline staff, and airport access limitations due to political issues. Cases where problems arise at airports outside Korea are also included.
An official from Incheon International Airport Corporation noted, 'Last year, there was a runway closure due to a tire burst incident involving Atlas Air, and the increase in air traffic also affected the situation. Factors such as the uncontrollable release of balloons across the northern border contributed to the rise in restrictions.'
The malfunction of the new security screening equipment implemented at Incheon Airport's Terminal 2 last November is cited as one of the causes of delays. Although the processing speed itself has improved, frequent malfunctions of the devices lead to longer waiting times for passengers. An official from the Incheon International Airport Security Integrated Labor Union stated, 'Since the introduction of the new equipment, the time required for security checks has increased by about 1.5 times, resulting in a significant number of passengers missing their flights.'
Kim (35), who works at a franchise restaurant in the airport, said, 'There are many complaints that what should take 2 hours now takes 3 to 4 hours because the new device is not optimized.' In response, Incheon International Airport Corporation stated, 'With the introduction of the new equipment, the processing capacity per employee has increased by about 17%, so we assess that there is no impact on aircraft delays.'
Ground operations have also increased delays. Among ground operations, delays in aircraft refueling and defueling accounted for 32%, followed by baggage delays (23%), aircraft cleaning (12%), shortages of tow vehicles and personnel (8%), delays in in-flight meal loading (7%), and a lack of service equipment (6%).
Kim (29), a mechanic at a domestic low-cost carrier, said, 'Even at large airports like Incheon, refueling vehicles are never sufficient. If the vehicles arrive late, it delays the next schedules and results in flight delays.' They added, 'Nowadays, as the demand has increased, the workforce for ground operations is also insufficient.'
A Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official stated, 'Looking at the delay statistics related to airports and entry and exit procedures, most codes are related to airport equipment and facilities. The increase in passengers likely played a role as well.' Last year, a total of 828,577 flights were operated in South Korea, marking a 15.1% increase compared to the previous year.