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Gadeokdo New Airport coming sooner
An artist rendering of the Gadeokdo New Airport.
Busan is getting a new airport much earlier than expected. Local and central government officials have decided to open the Gadeokdo New Airport by December 2029, nearly five years and six months earlier than the original target date of June 2035.
The project's accelerated timeline is due to Busan's bid to host the World Expo 2030. President Yoon Seok Yeol enthusiastically supports fast-tracking the construction since having two international airports enhances Busan's Expo candidacy. Gadeokdo New Airport would join Gimhae International Airport in welcoming visitors from around the world.
Gadeokdo, the site of the new airport, is located off the city's southwestern coast and is Busan's largest island. Gadeokdo also connects Busan to Geojedo Island, a vital location to Busan's shipbuilding industry. It houses the second and third largest shipyards in the nation.
On Aug. 24, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said they would finalize the masterplan for Gadeokdo New Airport by the end of this year. The budget for the new airport is estimated at 13.7 trillion won, or 10.5 billion U.S. dollars. Officials believe construction can begin at the end of 2024.
According to MOLIT, the new airport will cover roughly 6.7 million square meters on Gadeokdo Island. Initially, the airport was to be built on an artificial island. However, to fit the accelerated timeline, the airport will span land and sea, with a 3.5-kilometer runway built on reclaimed land. The new facility will also include a coastal passenger port to accommodate visitors who arrive by sea. Existing railways and roads will be extended to access Gadeokdo New Airport, connecting the site to Busan's shipping ports and downtown areas.
This "Tri-Port" system, which integrates air, rail and ship transit, ensures that both passengers and goods can seamlessly travel throughout the region, further enhancing Busan's standing as a global logistics and transit hub.
In planning the Gadeokdo New Airport, city officials are looking at two cities for inspiration: Dubai and Amsterdam.
Dubai, which hosted the World Expo in 2021, developed its Tri-Port and is now one of the world's most important air and ocean transit hubs.
The Port of Amsterdam, the fourth-busiest port in Europe, is close to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, one of Europe's largest hubs for full-freighter and passenger services.
Both cities maximize their logistics capabilities since their ports and airports are located within 20 kilometers of each other. Busan expects to do the same with its own Tri-Port.
While the completion of the Gadeokdo New Airport is believed to be a requirement for hosting the World Expo, the project is expected to benefit the city and the country in even more significant ways.
The airport is seen as a necessary step in establishing a megacity in the southeast region to complement Seoul and Gyeonggi-do Province in the northwest. This would create two major axis points, with the de facto administrative capital Sejong City in the middle, to help balance national development and remedy the country's population and economic polarization.
Plus, the new airport would complement Incheon International Airport, already busiest airport in Asia and ranked no.8 globally in terms of passenger traffic.
Gadeokdo Daehang Harbor
Daehang Observatory