Gimpo International Airport

Gimpo International Airport (GMP) is Seoul's close-in dual-use airport and the birthplace of commercial aviation in Korea. Located 15 km (9 mi) west of central Seoul at 59 ft (18 m) elevation, Gimpo served as the country's primary international airport from 1958 until the opening of Incheon International (ICN) in March 2001. Following that transfer, GMP was redeveloped as South Korea's busiest domestic airport while retaining a targeted set of short-haul international 'shuttle' routes. Two parallel asphalt runways (14L/32R at 11,811 ft / 3,600 m and 14R/32L at 10,499 ft / 3,200 m) handle more than 140,000 movements per year. The airport serves 49 routes to 18 destinations on 20 airlines (2026), an exceptionally dense pattern concentrated on high-frequency short-haul pairs. The Seoul-Gimpo to Jeju corridor is one of the busiest commercial air routes in the world with typically 80+ daily round trips. International service is restricted by bilateral agreement to nearby business-shuttle markets: Tokyo-Haneda, Osaka-Kansai, Beijing, Shanghai-Hongqiao and Taipei-Songshan - all likewise city-close airports - are served by Korean Air, Asiana, T'way, Jin Air, Jeju Air, ANA, JAL, China Eastern and EVA Air. GMP also houses the Republic of Korea Air Force's Seoul Airport functions, the headquarters of Korean Air, and one of the most comprehensive MRO facilities in Northeast Asia. Its status as a dual international-domestic hub makes it a rare asset: Seoul metropolitan area residents can reach 94 million people within a 2-hour flight from a 30-minute subway ride of downtown. Gimpo handled approximately 25 million passengers pre-pandemic, and in several recent years has ranked as the world's busiest airport by commercial domestic-only seats. Operated by the state-owned Korea Airports Corporation (KAC), the airport is paired with a 100,000-sqm (1.08 million sqft) Lotte Mall above the terminal, creating one of the most commercially integrated airport-retail complexes in Asia. GMP also functions as the preferred diversion airport for Incheon during low-visibility operations.