Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) will push ahead with an expansion project to ease congestion at the long-term parking lot at Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 (T2). Complaints from employees and passengers have mounted as congestion increased at the T2 long-term parking lot after the transfer of Asiana Airlines' passenger terminal last month.
According to Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) on the 25th, the corporation recently completed a cost review for a project to add 2,200 parking spaces to the T2 long-term parking lot. The corporation earlier conducted a review by the Construction Technology Advisory Committee for the expansion work and, based on that, plans to issue a bidding notice.
The T2 surface long-term parking lot expansion will be carried out for the first time in two years after the completion of the fourth-stage expansion project in 2024. According to the review, the T2 long-term parking lot expansion is expected to take up to three years and cost more than 20 billion won.
The passenger share between Incheon Airport's Terminal 1 (T1) and T2 shifted from the previous 65-to-35 level to 50-to-50 after the transfer of Asiana Airlines' passenger terminal. However, the total number of parking spaces remains 581 fewer at T2 than at T1. T1 can accommodate 23,716 vehicles in total, while T2 can accommodate 23,135.
In particular, due to passengers' preference for long-term parking, the T2 surface long-term parking lot is more congested than other locations. Although the T2 long-term parking lot is about 2 kilometers from the airport, it draws heavy demand because its fees are cheaper than the short-term lot about 100 meters from the airport. The maximum daily parking fee at the short-term lot is 24,000 won, while the long-term lot charges 9,000 won, less than half that amount.
As a result, on the 11th, the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday, only 456 spaces—5% of total capacity—were available at the T2 long-term parking lot from 6 a.m. In contrast, the nearby T2 parking tower could accommodate 2,720 vehicles, or 42% of its total capacity.
The corporation also plans to introduce a self-driving shuttle connecting the airport and the long-term parking lot starting in March. The move follows criticism that it is difficult to board shuttle buses during peak airport hours for departing passengers (5–8 a.m.).
An official at the corporation said, "We plan to issue a bidding notice for construction management services for the expansion of the Terminal 2 long-term parking lot."