News
Busan's future takes flight at Gadeokdo New Airport
Government officials gathered at Busan City Hall on Jan. 11 to announce the plans and timeline of the Gadeokdo New Airport project.
Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon declared 2024 the year Busan makes a grand leap forward to becoming a global hub city. The message was a key mantra during the Gadeokdo New Airport Vision and Strategy Declaration Ceremony at City Hall on Jan. 11.
During the event, Mayor Park and other city officials outlined the major civic initiatives to advance Busan and the Southern region. The policies are central to realizing Korea's stated goal of balanced development nationwide.
The ambitious plans center around Gadeokdo New Airport, which is on track to be completed in December 2029, five years earlier than the original target date. During the ceremony, Park revealed plans to construct a second runway immediately upon completion.
Gadeokdo New Airport is the centerpiece of a region-wide revamping of transportation networks that includes more railways, roadways and extensions to public transit. With citizens, visitors and goods able to move seamlessly throughout the Southern region, demand and volume for the airport will surge.
The Gadeokdo New Airport will be built on a floating structure and reclaimed land. The 3.5km runway will accomodate large passenger and cargo aircraft.
With a second runway, officials estimate the airport to accommodate 58 million passengers per year, more than double the annual passenger demand projected in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's original proposal. Mayor Park stressed that adding another runway is a cost-effective way to exponentially boost the airport's logistical capabilities.
Busan's largest ever project will establish a cutting-edge passenger and cargo logistics center, spanning 6.67 million square meters on a floating structure and reclaimed land. This includes expansion areas to meet rising cargo demands and necessary support facilities. Operating 24 hours a day, the airport will feature a 3.5-kilometer runway for large aircraft, an apron that can accommodate up to 74 aircraft and a parking lot with 11,000 spaces.
Once complete, the initial phase of the airport will be able to handle 23.26 million passengers and 335,000 tons of air cargo per year.
In addition, the airport will have an anti-fog landing system to maximize safety and avoid unexpected delays. The site's resilience strategy includes state-of-the-art safety systems to handle extreme weather and once-in-a-century tidal events. Furthermore, the project will include a coastal passenger port for people who travel by sea.
Officials envision Gadeokdo New Airport to anchor a reimagined pan-regional economy. Combined with Busan New Port, the area will become a specialized, international logistics hub capable of handling aviation, maritime, railway and roadway transportation. In turn, the infrastructure will foster new growth industries and attract domestic and foreign corporate investment based on Busan's strong global accessibility.
<Voca Spotlight>
declare: 선언하다
leap: 도약
mantra: 만트라(영적 또는 물리적 변형을 일으킬 수 있다고 여겨지는 발음, 음절, 낱말 또는 구절)
ambitious: 야심찬
revamp: 개편, 개정, 개조
seamlessly: 원활하게
runway: 활주로
accommodate: 수용하다
exponentially: 기하급수적으로
resilience: 복원력, 회복력, 탄력성
envision: 구상하다