Incheon Airport to undergo $903m refurbishment in 2024

Incheon Airport’s Terminal 1 will undergo a 1.2 trillion won ($903 million) refurbishment starting from next year, the airport’s operator said recently.

“After conducting an open survey of Terminal 1’s facilities’ operational status, Incheon Airport will conduct a comprehensive repair of its facilities from April 2024 to June 2033,” said an official from Incheon Airport during a press conference.

The facilities that will get an upgrade include the terminal’s ventilation systems, sanitary facilities and the cooling and heating systems.

It will also install new smoke control systems, fire shutters and earthquake-resistant devices throughout the airport to enhance safety.

The official said the facilities are considerably outdated and in due time for an upgrade.

“More than 20 years have gone by since Incheon Airport’s Terminal 1 was established. We found that 80 percent of the facilities (at Terminal 1) have either reached their end-of-life cycles or accumulated fatigue,” he said.

The airport operator expects the renovations to create 19,000 jobs and incur an economic trickle-down effect worth some 3.65 trillion won.