Gwangju Airport eyes temporary international flights by year-end

Plans are under review to temporarily operate international flights out of Gwangju Airport starting at the end of this year — a move that would reopen the city's direct air links abroad 18 years after international services were transferred to Muan.

The prospect has also raised concerns that delays in reopening Muan International Airport could set back plans for a Honam semiconductor industrial complex valued at 800 trillion won ($579 billion).

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Korea Airports Corporation recently identified safety issues during a runway inspection at Muan Airport, including deterioration of the pavement surface.

Experts are currently analyzing the cause of the anomalies, their impact on safety, and the scope of repairs needed.

Some assessments suggest the runway repairs could take one to two years, making a prolonged closure of the airport unavoidable.

The ministry and Korea Airports Corporation say it is too early to determine a repair timeline or a reopening date, as the detailed inspection is still ongoing.

Signs of ground instability at Muan Airport were first detected last year. A joint inspection found that blast vibrations from construction on the second phase of the Honam high-speed railway, along with changes in groundwater levels, likely contributed to ground subsidence and structural cracks at the airport.

The safety concerns at Muan Airport brought Gwangju Airport's international terminal back into the conversation as an alternative. The issue gained further momentum after President Lee Jae-myung raised both the Muan Airport reopening and the temporary international service at Gwangju Airport at a Cabinet meeting last month.

Kim Won-jun, president of Korea Airports Corporation, visited Gwangju Airport on Wednesday to inspect its facilities and operational conditions.

Gwangju Airport set up a dedicated team last month to support the launch of international services.

The plan under discussion calls for customs, immigration and quarantine facilities, along with baggage handling and IT systems, to be in place by November, with temporary international flights beginning in December. Customs, immigration and quarantine agencies are set to meet this week to review the requirements for launching international service.

Initial operations would run twice daily, with plans under consideration to expand to five flights a day from next year. The aircraft type would be Boeing 737-class jets with around 200 seats, with Southeast Asian routes — including Vietnam — expected to launch first. Routes to China, Japan and Mongolia could follow.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has not officially confirmed plans for international service at Gwangju Airport.