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Gimpo International Airport ((Hangul: 김포국제공항; Revised Romanization of Korean: Gimpo Gukje Gonghang; McCune-Reischauer: Kimp'o Kukche Konghang), commonly known as Gimpo Airport (formerly Kimpo International Airport), is located in the far western end of Seoul and was the main international airport for Seoul and South Korea before it was replaced by Incheon International Airport in 2001. It is now the second largest airport in Korea.
Airlines and destinations
International (all to Tokyo-Haneda)
Domestic
- Asiana Airlines (Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, Jeju, Jinju, Mokpo, Pohang, Ulsan, Yeosu)
- Jeju Air (Busan, Jeju, Yangyang)
- Korean Air (Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, Jeju, Jinju, Pohang, Ulsan, Yeosu)
History
The airport originally started out as a runway built by U.S. forces in 1951 during the Korean War and has since grown into a much more significant airport that is capable of handling 226,000 flights a year. The airport had one domestic and two international terminals before its international function was replaced by Incheon International Airport. Gimpo currently has two runways (3600 m×45 m & 3200 m×60 m), two passenger terminals, and one cargo terminal.
The airport is located south of the Han River in western Seoul. (The name "Gimpo" comes from the nearby city of Gimpo, of which the airport used to be a part.) For many years, the airport was served by the Gimpo Line, a railway line that no longer exists. In the 1990s, Seoul Subway Line 5 was extended to Gimpo. One could take the subway from Gimpo Airport all the way into downtown Seoul. The airport is still served by the subway, as well as by buses to Seoul and to Incheon International Airport. Future plans include Seoul Subway Line 9 to Banpo, and the Incheon International Airport Railroad link to Incheon International Airport and Seoul Station.
Airlines that used to serve Gimpo but no longer serve Seoul are:
- Ansett Australia
- Continental Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
- Iberia Airlines
- Kuwait Airways
- Lauda Air
- Qantas
- Saudia
- Swissair
- VASP.
On November 29, 2003, scheduled services between Gimpo and Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) in Tokyo, Japan started, providing the only existing international link for both city airports.
Disasters involving Gimpo
- In 1983, a Korean Air flight that was supposed to land here, Korean Air Flight 007, which was flying from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, New York to Kimpo via Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska ran into Soviet air space and was shot down. All passengers died.
- In 1987, Korean Air Flight 858, which was flying from Abu Dhabi International Airport in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates to Bangkok International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, to Kimpo was blown up midair by a bomb planted by North Korean agents. Everyone on board died after the plane exploded over the Andaman Sea.
- If Project Bojinka had not been discovered after a fire in Manila, Philippines, one or more aircraft owned by a U.S. carrier/s flying to this airport would have blown up over the Pacific Ocean on January 21, 1995 as part of the project's first phase.
- In 1997, Korean Air Flight 801, a Boeing 747 that had taken off from this airport, crashed before landing at General Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport, killing all but 26 of its passengers.
See also
External links
"Gimpo International Airport"