Incheon International Airport Corp. said Thursday that the airport handled a provisional 38.39 million international passengers from January through June, up 6.3 percent from a year earlier.
The figure was the highest among 1,234 airports worldwide, according to preliminary data from Airports Council International.
London Heathrow Airport ranked second with 37.79 million international passengers, followed by Singapore Changi Airport with 34.53 million.
Incheon has steadily climbed the global rankings over the past two decades. It ranked 10th in 2002 with 20.55 million international passengers, fifth in 2018 with 67.68 million and third in 2024 with 70.67 million.
The airport operator attributed the latest rise partly to disruptions in Middle Eastern aviation following the U.S.-Iran war, which disrupted connecting traffic through major hubs such as Dubai and redirected some Europe-bound passengers through Incheon.
Transfer passenger traffic at Incheon rose 18.1 percent year-on-year to 4.24 million in the first half. Transfers involving European routes jumped 63.2 percent to about 210,000.
Foreign travelers also accounted for a record 44.4 percent of total passengers during the March-to-June period.
The airport operator cited timely infrastructure expansion, backed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and Incheon’s extensive international network as key factors behind its rise to the top ranking.
Through four phases of expansion since its opening, Incheon has secured annual capacity for 106 million passengers, giving it the world’s third-largest airport infrastructure by capacity, according to the operator.
A total of 101 airlines currently connect Incheon with 183 cities in 53 countries, including passenger and cargo services. Its international passenger network covers 158 destinations, compared with 139 at Hong Kong International Airport, 92 at Shanghai Pudong International Airport and 86 at Narita International Airport.
“We are grateful for the government’s support, the public’s encouragement and the efforts of everyone working at the airport who helped make Incheon the world’s No. 1 airport,” said Kim Bum-ho, acting president of Incheon International Airport Corp.
“We will continue to improve passenger convenience and contribute to the development of Korea’s aviation industry.”
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