Incheon International Airport celebrated its 17th anniversary last week, vowing to become an airport of smart technology and handle up to 130 million passengers by 2027.

The ceremony, held on Thursday, was attended by some 400 airport employees, officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport as well as airlines and partner companies.

Incheon International Airport CEO Chung Il-young said “Incheon International Airport was able to take a leap as Northeast Asia’s hub airport where an average of 62 million passengers visit and 2.9 million tons of air cargo are delivered each year, thanks to the support from the government as well as passengers.” 

According to the airport, it will aim to become listed among the top three international terminals by 2027, by handling up to 130 million passengers a year at its two terminals. 

The opening of Terminal 2 in January has already raised the international airport’s annual capacity of handling passengers from the current 54 million to 72 million, the airport said. 

Last year, the airport introduced cleaning robots and guidance robots in the check-in and duty free areas. The airport said its hardware infrastructure will continue to be upgraded to support the stable operation via technology, laying the groundwork to be a high-tech leader in the global aviation industry.

By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)