Gimhae International Airport

Gimhae International Airport is located on the western end of Busan, South Korea. Opened in 1976, the airport is named after the nearby city of Gimhae. A new international terminal opened on October 31, 2007. Gimhae International Airport is the main hub for Air Busan, and a focus city for Jeju Air, Jin Air and Korean Air. Runway 18L/36R is used for military purposes only for Gimhae Air Base, but due to increasing traffic, there are plans to open the runway for airliners. In 2018, 17,064,613 passengers used the airport.

As the airport is now beyond its design capacity and surrounded by mountains, buildings and other objectives, a new airport is currently being built on Gadeokdo to meet growing demand. Because the airport is shared with military facilities, photography and video of the apron, runway, and military stations are prohibited according to the airport website.



History
In August 1976, Gimhae Airport opened, and commercial air traffic shifted there from the old airport. A new domestic terminal was completed in May 1983. Korean Air launched a route to Honolulu in October 1992. In April 2002, Northwest Airlines began service to its hub at Tokyo's Narita Airport, where people could board connecting flights to the United States. In March 2007, Lufthansa inaugurated service to Munich via Seoul. This was the first route between Busan and Europe. President Roh Moo-hyun opened a new international terminal seven months later. Delta Air Lines, which had merged with Northwest, ended the Tokyo link in May 2012. Lufthansa terminated its flight to Busan in March 2014.

Airlines and destinations
Korean Air between Busan and Incheon is available only to passengers flying internationally to/from South Korea with Korean Air

Top carriers
In 2023, the ten carriers with the largest percentage of passengers flying into, out of, or through Gimhae International Airport are as follows:

Metro

 * Busan-Gimhae Light Rail Transit : Gimhae International Airport Station

Airport Limousine Bus

 * Gimhae International Airport (from Airport to Busan station) International Terminal - Domestic Terminal - Paik Hospital intersection - Gaya Homeplus mart - Gaya Hyudai apt - Seomyeon (Lotte Hotel Busan) - Seomyeon, Busan - Beomil (Hyundai dep. store) - Jin market - Busanjin station (Busan Metro) - Busan station - Toyoko inn Hotel - Jungang - Guangbokdong Lotte dep. store - Nampo - Jagalchi (Chungmudong)
 * Gimhae International Airport (from Busan Station to Airport) Jagalchi (Chungmudong) - Nampo - Guangbokdong Lotte dep. store - Jungang - Yeongjudong - Busan station - Busanjin station (Busan Metro) - Beomil (Hyundai dep. store) -Seomyeon, Busan (Judies Taehwa) - Seomyeon (Lotte Hotel Busan) - Gaya Hyudai apt - Gaya Homeplus mart - Paik Hospital intersection - Airport (International Terminal)
 * Gimhae International Airport (International Terminal) - Domestic Terminal - Namcheon (Namcheondong) - Gwangan (Gwangandong) - Suyeong (Suyeong Intersection) - Millak (Suyeong Hyudai apt) - Centum City (Centum hotel) - Bexco - Olympic intersection - Gyeongnam Marina apt - Hyundai park hiatt hotel - Hanhwa resort - Hyperion - Westin Chosun Hotel - Grand Hotel - Novotel Ambassador - Paradise Hotel - Mipo, moon-ten road - Remian Haeundae apt - Hyundai ipark apt - Jangsan - Haeundae Paik Hospital - Dongbu apartment - Daelim 1cha apt - Yangwoon high school - Yangwoon middle school - Yangwoon high school - Daedong apt - Dongbu apartment - Haeundae Paik Hospital - Jangsan Station - Hyundai ipark apt - Remian Haeundae apt - Mipo, moon-ten road - Novotel Ambassador - Paradise Hotel - Seacloud hotel - Grand Hotel - Westin Chosun Hotel - Hyperion - Hanhwa resort - Hyundai park hiatt hotel - Gyeongnam Marina apt - Olympic intersection - Homeplus mart - Centum City (Centum hotel) - Millak (Suyeong Hyudai apt) - Suyeong (Suyeong Intersection) - Gwangan (Gwangandong) - Namcheon (Namcheondong) - Airport (International Terminal, Departure) - Domestic Terminal, Arrival - the bus operates from 06:50 to 22:00, every 15~20 minutes

Express Bus

 * 1009 : Geumgok-dong ↔ Deokcheon station ↔ Gupo station ↔ Gangseo-gu Office ↔ Gimhae Airport ↔ Myeongji ↔ Noksan indus. complex ↔ Busan New Port ↔ Gadeok-do Sunchang The bus operates from 05:20 to 20:50, every 40 minutes (Depart from Geumgok)

City Bus

 * 307 : Gimhae Airport ↔ Gangseo-gu Office ↔ Gupo station ↔ Gupo Market ↔ Deokcheon station ↔ Mandeok ↔ Dongnae ↔ Centum City (BEXCO) ↔ Haeundae The bus operates 05:15, from 06:15 to 23:20, every 15~20 minutes

Village Bus

 * Gangseo No. 11 : Ulman ↔ Gimhae Int'l Airport ↔ Gangseo-gu Office ↔ Buk-gu Office ↔ Gupo station ↔ Deokcheon station (Gupo Market)
 * Gangseo No. 13 : Hadan ↔ Eulsukdo ↔ Myeongji ↔ Deokdu ↔ Gimhae Int'l Airport ↔ Gangseo-gu Office ↔ Buk-gu Office ↔ Gupo station ↔ Gupo Market ↔ Deokcheon station (Deokcheon JCT)

Intercity Bus
Masan, Changwon, Jinhae, Jangyu, Gimhae, Pohang, Gyeongju, Gumi, Dongdaegu, Ulsan, Eonyang, Yangsan, Gohyeon, Okpo, Jangseungpo

Incidents and accidents

 * On January 31, 2001, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-40, operating as Japan Airlines Flight 958 was en route from Gimhae to Narita International Airport and narrowly avoided a mid-air collision with another Japan Airlines plane over Yaizu in Suruga Bay. All 250 people on the DC-10 were uninjured.
 * On April 15, 2002, a Boeing 767-200ER, operating as Air China Flight 129 from Beijing Capital International Airport to Busan, crashed into a hill while trying to land at Gimhae during inclement weather, killing 129 of the 166 people on board.