Incheon International Airport Corporation asked passengers to arrive three hours before departure, saying that arriving too early could worsen congestion at the airport amid a strike by a subsidiary's labor union.
On the 2nd, the corporation said it was operating normally with minimum essential personnel, but warned that the airport could become crowded starting on the 3rd. Incheon Airport has been facing an indefinite strike by the Public Transport Workers' Union Incheon Airport Branch under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions since the 1st.
From the 3rd to the 12th, during the Chuseok holiday period, the corporation expects 2.45 million people to use Incheon Airport and is implementing a joint special response with related agencies, including expanding X-ray screening equipment.
Even so, the corporation expects upcoming airport congestion because the security screening union withdrew from additional shifts. Initially, the airport planned to deploy 119 additional security screeners, including those returning from leave, to conduct aviation security screening at Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 to ease congestion.
However, the union of Incheon International Airport Security, a subsidiary in charge of airport security operations, withdrew from additional work while demanding improvements to operations, more staffing, and the withdrawal of service evaluations during the Chuseok period. Because they cannot participate in a strike under the Essential Guard Services Act, the unions appear to have opted to refuse additional shifts.
The airport workers' strike is taking place at 15 airports nationwide, including Incheon Airport. It is an indefinite general strike by the National Airport Workers' Solidarity under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), which includes about 15,000 workers from airports nationwide and the Aviation Technical Training Center, demanding the introduction of a four-team, two-shift system, more staffing and shorter working hours, and improvements to disadvantages faced by subsidiary employees.
Airports nationwide say they plan to operate normally with essential maintenance personnel and substitute staff, but there are growing concerns that the situation could worsen as millions of people are expected to use the airports.
During this holiday period, the number of passengers using the 15 airports nationwide is expected to reach about 5.26 million, the highest ever for a holiday period. Incheon Airport is expected to handle 2.45 million, while the 14 airports including Gimpo, Gimhae and Jeju are expected to handle 2.81 million (2.06 million on domestic routes and 750,000 on international routes).