New Jeju Airport

New Jeju Airport is a proposed development to serve the increase in demand for service to Jeju Island. The KRW4.1 trillion (USD3.6 billion) project is expected to feature a 3200m x 60m. Development works are scheduled to commence in 2019, and due for completion in 2025.

Sep-2024. South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) announced details of its basic plan for the New Jeju Airport development project. The budget for the project is KRW5.5 trillion (USD4.1 billion) and the airport will be equipped to accommodate up to 16.9 million passengers p/a. New Jeju Airport will feature one 3200m x 45m runway, one 118,000sqm passenger terminal and 28 aircraft parking stands. The passenger terminal will utilise renewable energy sources for 60%-80% of its electrical energy requirement. 

Mar-2023. South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) announced South Korea's Ministry of Environment granted conditional approval to the revised strategic environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for the New Jeju Airport development project submitted by MOLIT in Jan-2023. 

Jan-2023. South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport) resubmitted its strategic environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for the New Jeju Airport development project to South Korea's Ministry of Environment, with supplementary material. The Ministry of Environment rejected the previous EIA submitted by MOLIT in Jul-2021, citing lack of adequate investigation of issues including nearby bird habitats, aircraft noise pollution and endangered species protection.

Jul-2021. South Korea's Ministry of Environment rejected the strategic environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for the New Jeju Airport development project submitted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), citing lack of adequate investigation of issues including nearby bird habitats, aircraft noise pollution and endangered species protection. MOLIT is invited to revise and resubmit the report.

Oct-2019. South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) plans to allocate KRW35.6 billion (USD30.5 million) for the New Jeju Airport development project under its 2020 budget.

Jun-2019. South Korea's MOLIT released the final report on the basic plan for the New Jeju Airport project. New Jeju Airport will have capacity of 19 million passengers p/a and is expected to operate as the secondary airport to Jeju International Airport.

Jan-2019. South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) reported POSCO E&C has commenced the process of preparing a basic plan for the development of New Jeju Airport. MOLIT expects the basic plan to be completed within approximately six months and design planning to commence in 2020.

May-2018. South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) reissued a tender for a second feasibility survey for the New Jeju Airport development project. MOLIT previously awarded the tender to the Yusin Corporation and Korean Transportation Society consortium, which later withdrew from the contract.

Dec-2017. South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) plans to undertake a second preliminary feasibility study for the planned New Jeju Airport development project. MOLIT plans to issue a tender for the study by the end of 2017 and expects the study to commence in Feb/Mar-2018 and for results to be reported by May/Jun-2018.

Dec-2016. South Korea's Governor of Jeju Province Won Hee-ryong confirmed to residents a preliminary feasibility study on the airport's construction was completed in Dec-2016, though was met by concerns of housing needing to be cleared to facilitate the project. Mr Hee-ryong said "concrete" plans for the airport's exact location between between the city of Seogwipo and Seongsan are difficult to establish.

Sep-2016.

02-Sep-2016. South Korea government committed KRW9.5 billion (USD8.5 million) of the 2017 state budget to develop New Jeju Airport and Busan Gimhae Airport’s masterplans. Each masterplan will cost KRW4.75 billion (USD4.2 million) respectively and the process is expected to take 12 months. 

02-Sep-2016. South Korea government stated construction on the new Jeju Airport is expected to commence in 2H2019. The entire project is estimated to cost KRW4.1 trillion (USD3.6 billion) and is scheduled to complete in 2025.

Nov-2015. South Korea’s MOLIT announced plans to construct a second Jeju Airport citing increasing passenger traffic to the island. The Ministry stated the growing popularity of Jeju Island and a sharp increase in demand for LCC services has made it imperative to increase air capacity to Jeju, with the new 3200m x 60m one-runway airport expected to cost KRW4100 billion (USD3.5 billion) and to be located between the city of Seogwipo and Seongsan. The Ministry also said the current Jeju International Airport’s 3180m x 45m runway and its rarely used 1500m strip will reach its capacity in 2018. The airport handled 11.4 million passengers in 2005, which increased to 15.7 million in 2010 and to 23.2 million in 2014. The Ministry, however, estimates traffic will reach 28.3 million by 2018 and to 32.1 million in 2020. The MOLIT also studied expanding the current airport, closing Jeju International and constructing a completely new airport with two runways, or constructing a second airport at a separate location, commenting: “Taking into account the cost, impact on the environment and public opinion, the third option was accepted after extensive reviews.” It added, "Expanding the existing airport would cost KRW9.4 trillion (USD8.0 billion) and pose environment challenges due to the need to reclaim land from the sea, while closing it down entirely is opposed by residents of Jeju City." Preliminary feasibility studies on the plan will start within the year, with the design to be drawn up as soon as possible. The ministry said if all goes according to plan, the new airport should be operational by 2025, when passenger traffic to the island could hit 39.4 million.