Incheon Airport Bustles During Golden Holiday; Fuel Surcharge Hike Raises Airfare Burden

Incheon International Airport is bustling as more citizens embark on overseas trips to mark the golden holiday period. On the first day of the long holiday, the airport was crowded with travelers even in the afternoon, with approximately 220,000 passengers passing through. This figure represents an increase of nearly 5% compared to the same period last year.

However, the significant increase in fuel surcharges, reflecting higher aviation fuel prices, is adding to the burden of purchasing airline tickets starting this month. The fuel surcharge has roughly doubled, meaning round trips to Japan and China will cost at least 150,000-200,000 won, 500,000 won to Bangkok, Thailand, and over 1 million won for trips to Europe and the Americas. This surge is a result of international oil prices skyrocketing due to the repercussions of the Middle East conflict, leading to the application of the highest fuel surcharge level, 33, for the first time since the current system was introduced.

The increased burden of higher fuel surcharges may disrupt future travel plans. Airlines state that even with this increase, they cannot fully offset the rising costs of fuel. Consequently, some international routes with low profitability have seen reduced flight frequencies. Asiana Airlines has canceled 13 international flights this month, and Jin Air has canceled 131 flights.