Incheon: Incheon International Airport, the main gateway to Seoul, has achieved a significant milestone by ranking first worldwide in international passenger traffic during the first half of this year, with over 38 million passengers processed, as reported by the airport operator on Thursday. This achievement marks the first time the airport has topped the global ranking since its opening in 2001.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC) revealed that the airport handled 38.39 million international passengers from January to June, marking a 6.3 percent increase from the previous year. This impressive figure places Incheon ahead of 1,234 airports worldwide, based on preliminary statistics from the Airports Council International. Incheon surpassed London Heathrow Airport, which handled 37.79 million passengers, and Singapore's Changi Airport, with 34.53 million passengers, during the same period.

Incheon's ascent in global rankings for international passenger numbers has been remarkable, rising from 10th place in 2002 with 20.55 million passengers to 5th place in 2018 with 67.68 million passengers, and further to 3rd place in 2024 with 70.67 million passengers. IIAC officials speculate that existing air travel demand, particularly traffic between Dubai and Europe, may have shifted to Incheon as transit operations at Middle Eastern airports like Dubai have weakened following the U.S.-Iran war.

The number of transfer passengers at Incheon increased significantly, rising 18.1 percent from the previous year to reach 4.24 million in the first half of this year. Notably, transfer passengers on European routes surged by 63.2 percent, totaling 210,000. Additionally, the proportion of foreign passengers among all passengers at Incheon hit a record high of 44.4 percent in the second quarter of this year.