Gimpo International Airport

History

The airfield was built in 1939 during the Japanese Imperial period as an Imperial Army base. The runways were built on a bed of rocks manually hauled by Korean labourers from Kaihwasan and Yangchan, several miles from the base. Then known as Keijo New Airfield (京城新飛行場), Gimpo was constructed with four runways to supplement the much smaller Keijo Airfield (京城飛行場), which was later known as Yeouido Airport.

Korean War

Gimpo played a major role during the Korean War, and the USAF designated the airfield as Kimpo Air Base or K-14.

North Korean forces attacked South Korea on 25 June 1950 starting the Korean War. During one of the first Korean People's Air Force (KPAF) attacks on 25 June, a Military Air Transport Service C-54 Skymaster was destroyed on the ground at Gimpo. On 27 June, US naval and air forces began evacuating 748 US diplomats, military dependents, and civilians by air transport from Kimpo and Suwon Airfield. On the afternoon of 27 June, five F-82 Twin Mustangs of the 68th Fighter Squadron and 339th Fighter Squadron were escorting four C-54 Skymaster aircraft out of Kimpo when the C-54s were attacked by five KPAF Lavochkin La-7 fighters. In the subsequent dogfights, three LA-7s were shot down for the loss of no US aircraft in the first air battle of the war. Later that day, four F-80Cs of the 35th Fighter-Bomber Squadron shot down four Ilyushin Il-10s for no losses over Gimpo in the USAF's first jet-aircraft victory.

Gimpo was captured by the KPA shortly after the capture of Seoul on 28 June 1950. On 29 June, eight B-29s of the 19th Bomb Group bombed Gimpo and the Seoul railyards. By July, the KPAF were using the base for attacks on UN forces; on 10 July, seven Yak-7s were hidden at Gimpo and used in strikes against UN positions at Cheongju. The next day, they surprised and damaged several Lockheed F-80s in the area. On 15 July, the US launched an attack on Gimpo, destroying two or three of the seven Yak-7s there and damaging the runway. On 5 August 5th Air Force fighters strafed and bombed Gimpo, destroying 9 aircraft and damaging 9 others.

Following the Inchon landings on 15 September 1950, the 2nd Battalion 5th Marines was ordered to seize Gimpo on 17 September. Gimpo was defended by a conglomeration of half-trained fighting men and service forces, and by the morning of 18 September, the Marines had secured the airfield. The airfield was in excellent shape as the North Koreans had not had time to do any major demolition. On 19 September, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers repaired the local railroad up to 8 mi inland and 32 C-54 transport planes began flying in gasoline and ordnance. VMF-212 was one of the first units to operate from Gimpo before moving forward to Yonpo Airfield. On 25 September, the 811th Engineer Aviation Battalion began repairing bomb damage on the 6000 ft asphalt runway at Gimpo and covering it with Marston matting. On 6 October, the USAF took control of Gimpo from the USMC.

Following the Chinese Third Phase Campaign and the defeat of UN Forces at the 38th parallel, on 5 January 1951, General Ridgway ordered the evacuation of Seoul and the withdrawal of UN forces to a new defensive line along the 37th parallel. Units based at Gimpo were withdrawn to the south and facilities were destroyed to prevent their use by Chinese and North Korean forces.

UN forces resumed the offensive again in late January 1951 and launched Operation Thunderbolt on 25 January, with the aim of pushing Chinese and North Korean forces back north of the Han River. By 10 February 1951, UN forces once again had control of Gimpo.

USAF units based at Gimpo (Kimpo) included:

• 4th Fighter Wing operating F-86s from 23 August 1951 to 1 October 1954, subordinate units included:
  • 334th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
  • 335th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
  • 336th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
• 8th Fighter-Bomber Wing from 25 June to 23 August 1951
• 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing from 10 October 1950 to 10 December 1950, subordinate units included:
  • 16th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron operating F-80s from 22 October 1950 to 3 January 1951
  • 25th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron operating F-80s from October 1950 to November 1951
• 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group from 20 August 1951 to 6 December 1954, subordinate units included:
  • 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron operating RB-26Bs
  • 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron operating RF-80s and RF-86s
  • 45th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron operating F-51s
• 68th Fighter Squadron operating F-82s from 30 November 1950 to March 1951 and from 27 June to 24 August 1951
• 80th Fighter Squadron operating P-51s from 27 October to 20 December 1950

Other UN units based at Gimpo (Kimpo) included:

• No. 77 Squadron RAAF operating Gloster Meteors from June 1951

On 21 September 1953, North Korean pilot No Kum-Sok defected in his MiG-15, landing at Gimpo.

File:World War II Fighter Planes Kimpo, Korea 1945.jpg|Mitsubishi Ki-51s at Kimpo, October 1945 File:Wreckage of big transport which North Koreans hit while it was on Kimpo Airfield, is again in friendly hands, upon recapture of field HD-SN-99-03159.jpg|Wreckage of a C-54 destroyed on ground by KPAF fighters, June 1950 File:Il-10 damaged Kimpo Korea 1950.jpeg|Captured KPAF Ilyushin Il-10, September 1950 File:F51s K14 Kimpo Airfield Korea Oct 1950.jpg|F51s at Kimpo (K14) Airfield, October 1950 File:Meteor F8 77 Sqn RAAF at Kimpo c1952.jpg|No. 77 Squadron RAAF Gloster Meteor, 1952 File:J47 engine change on F-86E at Kimpo 1952.jpg|Engine change on an F-86E, 1952 File:MiG-15bis Kimpo Sep 1953.jpeg|MiG-15, 1953

International era

In 1958, the airport was redesignated as the Gimpo international airport of Seoul by a presidential decree, completely replacing the existing Yeouido Airport.

Following the construction of Gimpo, Yeouido Airport was demolished. Gimpo soon became the main airport of Seoul, and of South Korea in general. In 1971, a new, combined domestic and international terminal was opened. However, following the opening of what was known as Terminal 1 in 1977, the original combined terminal was converted to domestic flights only. Later, Terminal 2 was opened due to the 1988 Summer Olympics.

Gradually, Gimpo began to have more flights than it was capable of handling. After about 1980, it experienced numerous problems due to its lack of space for expansion. An additional problem was South Korea's overnight curfew (midnight to 4 am), a security measure that was in effect for decades. The curfew, which severely limited the airport's night operations, was finally abolished in 1982.

Eventually, the South Korean government decided to build a new airport. The facility was initially planned to be in Cheongju, 124 km away from Seoul, but that idea was strongly opposed by the citizens of Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, due to the inconvenience it would pose to them. (It would have been farther from Seoul than the 80 km distance between Viracopos Airport in Campinas, Brazil, and the city of São Paulo.) Finally, Yeongjong Island, a part of the city of Incheon, slightly west of Seoul, was chosen for the new airport, which later came to be known as Incheon International Airport. All bigger scale international flights were moved to Incheon when it opened in 2001.

Post-Incheon-activation era

"Shuttle" flights to Haneda Airport in Tokyo started in November 2003 on a charter basis, cutting 30 minutes or more of ground transportation at each end in an attempt to attract business travelers. This "city to city" route was followed by new routes to Hongqiao Airport in Shanghai starting in October 2007, Kansai Airport in Osaka starting in 2008, Beijing starting in July 2011, and Songshan Airport in Taipei starting in April 2012. Total international passenger numbers at Gimpo rose from under one million in 2005 to over four million by 2012. Most services to Osaka and Beijing also operate from Incheon Airport.

The Haneda-Gimpo route was suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but resumed in June 2022 with eight weekly round trips, and recovered to 84 weekly round trips by the end of 2022 as entry restrictions were lifted. On 26 March 2023, the Haneda-Incheon services resumed with two daily round trips a week with Korean Air and Peach with Asiana Airlines resuming the route on 1 May 2023 with seven daily round trips a week.

Korea Airports announced an expansion and remodeling of the terminals in 2013, adding new gates and security checkpoints. In 2017, the South Korean government announced that a new terminal would be built to meet growing domestic traffic.

Gimpo currently has two runways, 3600 × and 3200 ×, two passenger terminals, and one cargo terminal.

Airlines and destinations

| Air Busan | Busan, Jeju | Air China | Beijing–Capital | Air Seoul | Jeju | All Nippon Airways | Tokyo–Haneda | Asiana Airlines | Beijing–Capital, Gwangju, Jeju, Osaka–Kansai, Shanghai–Hongqiao, Tokyo–Haneda, Yeosu | China Airlines | Taipei–Songshan | China Eastern Airlines | Shanghai–Hongqiao | China Southern Airlines | Beijing–Daxing | Eastar Jet | Jeju, Taipei–Songshan | EVA Air | Taipei–Songshan | Japan Airlines | Tokyo–Haneda | Jeju Air | Busan, Jeju, Kaohsiung, Osaka–Kansai | Jin Air | Busan, Jeju, Pohang–Gyeongju, Sacheon, Ulsan, Yeosu | Korean Air | Beijing–Capital, Busan, Jeju, Osaka–Kansai, Shanghai–Hongqiao, Tokyo–Haneda, Ulsan | Parata Air | Jeju | Peach Aviation | Nagoya–Centrair, Osaka–Kansai | Shanghai Airlines | Shanghai–Hongqiao | T'way Air | Jeju, Kaohsiung, Taipei–Songshan | Tigerair Taiwan | Kaohsiung |}}

Statistics

Routes

In 2024, the most popular international destinations from Gimpo International Airport were as follows:

In 2024, the most popular domestic destinations from Gimpo International Airport were as follows:

Traffic by calendar year

Other facilities

Korea Airports Corporation (KAC) has its headquarters on the airport property.

The Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB) has its FDR/CVR Analysis and Wreckage Laboratory on the property of the airport. When the predecessor agency Korea Aviation Accident Investigation Board (KAIB) existed, its CVR/FDR and wreckage laboratory was located on the airport property.

Ground transportation

Railway

On 23 March 2007 the AREX airport express line started operations to Incheon International Airport, with an extension to Seoul Station which opened in December 2010. Seoul Subway Line 9 also links the airport to the Gangnam area. For many years, the airport was served by the Gimpo Line, a railway line that no longer exists. In the 1990s, Seoul Subway Line 5 was extended to Gimpo Airport. In 2019, the Gimpo Goldline began service to the airport. On 1 July 2023, the Seohae Line began service to the airport.

Roadway

Gimpo International Airport is connected to Incheon International Airport by Incheon International Airport Expressway via Gimpo Airport Interchange. Some others road also linked Gimpo Airport with Seoul and nearby province including National Route 39, National Route 48, Olympic-daero and Seoul City Route 92 (Nambu Beltway).

Accidents and incidents

• On 22 February 1957, a USAF Douglas C-124 Globemaster II crashed near SEL after takeoff because of a prop/turbine blade separation, resulting in a forced landing in the Han River. Out of a total of 159 passengers and crew on board, 21 were killed.
• On 19 November 1980, Korean Air Lines Flight 015, a Boeing 747-200 landed short of the runway, ripping off all main landing gear, causing the aircraft to skid to a stop on the nose wheel and outer two engines starting a fire. 15 of the 226 total occupants were killed, including the first officer and captain.
• On 25 November 1989, Korean Air Flight 175, a Fokker F28-4000 en route to Ulsan Airport crashed right after takeoff. No one was killed,but 40 people were wounded.
• On 5 August 1998, Korean Air Flight 8702, a Boeing 747-400, rolled off the runway upon touchdown and slid into a ditch, resulting in the destruction of the aircraft's undercarriage and the fuselage being split. All 395 of the total occupants survived and the aircraft was written off.

Notes

References

References

1. link
2. link. (23 March 2012 . South Korea News (26 April 2011). Retrieved on 12 July 2013.)
3. [http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/04/30/2003531629 Songshan to begin direct flights to Gimpo in Seoul]. Taipei Times (30 April 2012). Retrieved on 6 March 2015.
4. "History of K-14, Gimpo air base, South Korea".
5. "朝鮮半島の旧陸海軍航空基地".
6. "K-Bases in Korea". National Museum of the US Air Force.
7. "History Milestones Sunday, January 01, 1950 – Thursday, December 31, 1959". U.S. Air Force.
8. (2011). "Valor Awards for James Walter Little". [[Gannett Company]].
9. Futrell, Robert F.. (1997). "The United States Air Force in Korea, 1950–1953". [[United States Government Printing Office]].
10. Hoyt, Edwin P.. (1984). "On to the Yalu". Stein and Day.
11. (2016). "Airport Introduction". Korea Airports Corporation.
12. (2015-10-19). "Seoul Gimpo Airport growing by 7% in 2015 despite MERS". anna.aero.
13. (2003-11-07). "Haneda to Gimpo route to give duty free boost in Japan and South Korea and drive business traffic - The Moodie Davitt Report". The Moodie Davitt Report.
14. "Shanghai Hongqiao – Seoul Gimpo takes off 28OCT07". Routesonline.
15. "Gimpo-Beijing Flights to Start in July".
16. (30 April 2012). "Songshan to begin direct flights to Gimpo in Seoul - Taipei Times".
17. Dharma, RanjithKumar. (2022-06-29). "South Korea and Japan restart flights between Gimpo and Haneda airports".
18. 최, 경애. (2022-12-07). "Seoul, Tokyo to increase flights on Gimpo-Haneda route to pre-pandemic level".
19. "Korean Air / Asiana Airlines Resumes Seoul Incheon – Tokyo Haneda Route in NS23".
20. (2022-08-26). "Peach to resume service between Haneda and Seoul".
21. (2 September 2013). "Gimpo Airport to get 250 billion won upgrade".
22. "S. Korea to build new terminal at Gimpo Airport by 2025". [[Yonhap News Agency]].
23. link. (30 August 2019)
24. "Seoul, Korea Republic Of SEL".
25. "Flight Route Schedule Information".
26. (16 December 2022). "Asiana Airlines Resumes Seoul Gimpo – Osaka Service in 1Q23".
27. "Taipei, Chinese Taipei TPE".
28. (14 March 2023). "Eastar to resume flights this month for turnaround". [[Yonhap News Agency]].
29. "EastarJet 3Q23 Network Additions".
30. "Taipei, Chinese Taipei TPE".
31. "Jeju Air Resumes Seoul Gimpo – Kaohsiung Service in 2H25".
32. "Jin Air adds new domestic routes in 2Q20".
33. link. [[Yonhap News Agency]]. (16 July 2020)
34. (6 January 2022). "Jin Air to Open Sacheon-Gimpo Route From January 28". [[Haps Magazine]].
35. link. YTN News. (3 June 2020)
36. "Parata Air Schedules Domestic Korea Service Debut in late-Sep 2025".
37. "Peach Adds Seoul Gimpo Service in NS25".
38. "Mainland Chinese Carriers NS23 International / Regional Network – 23APR23".
39. "T'Way Air Confirms Seoul Gimpo – Kaohsiung late-June 2024 Launch".
40. "T'Way Air Resumes Taipei Service From Dec 2022".
41. "tigerair Taiwan Begins Kaohsiung – Seoul Gimpo Service in late-June 2023".
42. [https://www.airport.kr/co/en/cpr/statisticOfLocalAirport.do "KAC 한국공항공사"].
43. "[http://www.airport.co.kr/wwweng/content/contents.do?cid=2016010521075297549&menuId=1679 Directions]" (see enclosed map). [[Korea Airports Corporation]]. Retrieved on June 22, 2017. "07505 Korea Airports Corporation∥78 Haneul-gil Gangseo-gu, SEOUL" - [http://www.airport.co.kr/www/content/contents.do?cid=2015102904105939543&menuId=113 Directions and address in Korean]: "07505 서울 강서구 하늘길 78 한국공항공사 [ 전화번호 1661-2626 ]"
44. "[http://araib.mltm.go.kr/USR/WPGE0201/m_34586/DTL.jsp Office Location]." ([https://web.archive.org/web/20140101162433/http://araib.mltm.go.kr/USR/WPGE0201/m_34586/DTL.jsp Archive]) Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board. Retrieved on 15 February 2012. "CVR/FDR analysis and wreckage laboratory : Gimpo International Airport 274 Gwahae-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, Korea 157–711"
45. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20060518132314/http://152.99.129.24/eng/rct/Final%20report-English2005.4.15.pdf KAIB/AAR F0201]." [[Korea Aviation Accident Investigation Board]]. 4/168. Retrieved on 18 June 2009. "The main office is located near Gimpo International Airport, and the flight recorder analysis and wreckage laboratories are located inside the airport."
46. "51-141".
47. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 747-2B5B HL7445 Seoul-Gimpo (Kimpo) International Airport (SEL)".
48. (25 November 1989). "KAL기 이륙순간 추락 폭발". [[The Dong-A Ilbo]].
49. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 747-4B5 HL7496 Seoul-Gimpo (Kimpo) International Airport (SEL)".