Incheon International Airport last year led Asia in the number of passengers.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport on Nov. 11 said the airport had 11.96 million passengers last year.
The Incheon airport was eighth in passenger traffic in the world and tops in Asia, the first time for the air hub to lead the continent since opening in 2001.
In the global rankings, the airport dropped from No. 5 in 2019. Since demand for international flights plummeted 75.7% due to the COVID-19 pandemic, European airports rose a few notches ahead of Incheon's as people in Europe could travel relatively more freely.
Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates led the world for the second consecutive year with 26 million passengers, followed by Amsterdam Airport Schiphol of the Netherlands (21.88 million), which finished third in 2019, and the U.K.'s Heathrow Airport (20.65 million), which fell to No. 3 from No. 2.
In Asia, Singapore's Changi Airport finished second to Incheon's with 11.6 million and Hong Kong International Airport took the third spot with nine million.
Last year, the Incheon airport for the fourth straight year was No. 3 in the world for international cargo volume with 2.76 million tons. Hong Kong's was tops and China's Shanghai Pudong International Airport second.
Source: Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korean Culture and Information Service