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An aerial view of the Incheon International Airport’s cargo terminal (provided by the Incheon International Airport Corp.)

Incheon International Airport is now the world’s second-largest cargo hub.

Incheon International Airport Corporation announced on Monday that the airport had handled 3,273,000 tons of cargo last year, according to data released by the Airports Council International. This makes the Incheon International Airport’s performance No. 2 the world in terms of air cargo volume.

Incheon International Airport's air cargo volume, which was only 1.2 million tons per year when it first opened in 2001, has grown steadily at an average annual rate of 3.6%, exceeding 3 million tons of cargo volume for the first time in 17 years last year. After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the volume of total goods transported increased by 18.6% last year compared to 2020.

For the first time since the airport first opened, it handled more than $400 billion in import and export trade, accounting for 33% of Korea's total trade figures.

The corporation said that steady investment in the development of logistics infrastructure, such as the 1,969-square-meter airport logistics complex and cargo terminals, and the establishment of the first cool cargo center in Northeast Asia were all factors that contributed to the increase in cargo volume.

The corporation also predicted that by 2030, Incheon’s airport will surpass Hong Kong International Airport — which recorded a cargo volume of 4.99 million tons last year — to become the world's No. 1 logistics airport through the expansion of global express cargo terminals and the building of additional cargo terminals.

Incheon International Airport ranked third in air cargo volume over the past four years, trailing behind China's Shanghai Airport, which handled 3.24 million tons of cargo last year.

“The corporation will further strengthen Incheon International Airport's future logistical competitiveness through establishing future logistics infrastructure in advance, the timely development of a third airport logistics complex, and actively attracting new cargo routes to become the world's No. 1 hub for aviation logistics,” remarked Kim Kyung-wook, CEO of the Incheon International Airport Corporation.

By Lee Jung-ha, staff reporter

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