According to a report from South Korean news outlet The Chosun Ilbo, Seoul’s Metropolitan Government is considering opening up Seoul’s secondary airport to more overseas flights.

While Incheon Airport currently serves most of Seoul’s international air traffic since it opened in 2001, there has been a move to ease restrictions on Gimpo Airport – which prior to Incheon’s opening was Seoul’s main airport – for overseas and long-haul routes.

"Gimpo Airport could be an international airport particularly for business travelers since it is so close to downtown Seoul," according to an unnamed city official quoted in the report. The official also said when referring to the facilities at Gimpo that the "Runways and other facilities are in good condition, so adding more international routes will not be difficult if the regulation changes."

Gimpo Airport is South Korea’s third busiest airport and Seoul’s secondary airport with a closer distance from the city center 15 kilometers (9 miles) west of Seoul compared to Incheon (50 kilometers/30 miles).

At present, Gimpo serves mostly domestic flights though travelers can take international flights to several regional cities such as Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, Osaka, and Taipei. While Korean main and low cost carriers make up most of the aircraft traffic at Gimpo, the airport also welcomes flights by foreign carriers such as All Nippon Airways, EVA Air, China Airlines, and the Big 3 mainland Chinese carriers (Air China, China Southern, and China Eastern). If the city gets its way, Gimpo could see medium-haul flights in the future to other regional destinations in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

In an effort to upgrade Gimpo, renovations worth around KRW 250 billion (USD $200 million) were made since 2009 to the domestic passenger terminal with more space, upgraded baggage handling system, and more security checkpoints. Seoul’s government has stated it will conduct a feasibility study and will release its results around June.

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