![Incheon International Airport Terminal 1. [Photo = Incheon International Airport Corp.]](https://image.ajunews.com/content/image/2026/01/05/20260105141421197414.jpg)
SEOUL, January 5 (AJP) - A record 239,530 passengers passed through Incheon International Airport last Sunday, the most in a single day since it opened in 2001, operators said on Monday.
The figure was nearly 5,000 higher than the previous record of 234,171 set on Aug. 4, 2019, and was also up about 13.7 percent from a year earlier, when 210,891 passengers used the airport.
Chinese passengers accounted for the most at 49.2 percent of all travelers, seeing the biggest increase, likely due to a temporary year-long visa-free entry program between South Korea and China that runs until the end of this year. Passenger traffic from Chinese-speaking countries such as Hong Kong and Taiwan also rose by 24 percent.
However, the number of travelers to and from Southeast Asia remained relatively low, rising by just 1.7 percent despite the winter peak season, which was attributed to recent revelations of online phishing scams and other crimes, mostly in Cambodia.
Despite the record passenger numbers, the airport appears to be handling the surge smoothly, with an average processing time of just 7.9 minutes and a peak wait of 42 minutes at around 6 a.m.
The airport said it is expanding automated immigration clearance systems and adding additional security and screening staff.
Lee Hak-jae, the airport's president, said, "We will continue to improve convenience for foreign travelers and other visitors by revamping multilingual signage and increasing more personnel."
The figure was nearly 5,000 higher than the previous record of 234,171 set on Aug. 4, 2019, and was also up about 13.7 percent from a year earlier, when 210,891 passengers used the airport.
Chinese passengers accounted for the most at 49.2 percent of all travelers, seeing the biggest increase, likely due to a temporary year-long visa-free entry program between South Korea and China that runs until the end of this year. Passenger traffic from Chinese-speaking countries such as Hong Kong and Taiwan also rose by 24 percent.
However, the number of travelers to and from Southeast Asia remained relatively low, rising by just 1.7 percent despite the winter peak season, which was attributed to recent revelations of online phishing scams and other crimes, mostly in Cambodia.
Despite the record passenger numbers, the airport appears to be handling the surge smoothly, with an average processing time of just 7.9 minutes and a peak wait of 42 minutes at around 6 a.m.
The airport said it is expanding automated immigration clearance systems and adding additional security and screening staff.
Lee Hak-jae, the airport's president, said, "We will continue to improve convenience for foreign travelers and other visitors by revamping multilingual signage and increasing more personnel."
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