Gadeok New Airport needs a ‘Plan B’ as its timeline stretches again

For the sake of national interest and aviation safety, rushing Gadeok Island’s development may not be wise. A more deliberate approach — one that thoroughly examines each technical issue — would better serve the country’s long-term needs.

Kim Jae-beom The author is the director of the Center for International Relations at the Yonsei Institute for Aerospace Studies and a former brigadier general in the Air Force.

The government recently reversed course and decided to rebid the construction contract for the land reclamation at the Gadeok Island New Airport site, extending the work period sharply from the originally planned 84 months to 106 months. As a result, the airport’s opening date has been pushed back from December 2029 to 2035. After the “Special Act on the Construction of the Gadeok New Airport” was enacted in February 2021, the government moved the timeline forward by five years to support Busan’s bid for the 2030 World Expo, only to delay it again, prompting criticism that the schedule has become as elastic as a rubber band.

A render of the Gadeok New Airport [BUSAN METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

As an honorary citizen of Busan, I served at Gimhae Air Base as a young officer and have logged more than 3,800 flight hours. Having worked in aviation and national security for more than three decades, including as commander of the Air Force’s 5th Air Mobility Wing, I'm revisiting the question of whether Gadeok New Airport is necessary and whether it can meet safety requirements.

The argument for a new airport rests on security and convenience. From a security standpoint, Incheon International Airport, the country’s primary gateway, sits only about 45 kilometers (28 miles) from the demilitarized zone and about 370 kilometers from Weihai in China’s Shandong Province. In times of regional tension, even a minor shock to security conditions could threaten air access to the peninsula. When the weather deteriorates at Incheon, an alternate airport becomes essential, adding weight to the call for a backup facility.

Convenience is also a factor. Residents in the southern provinces and autonomous metropolitan cities, home to about 17 million people, must travel more than 400 kilometers to reach Incheon for overseas travel or business trips. A new airport on Gadeok Island could alleviate that burden.

But safety is the more critical issue. The recent Jeju Air incident at Muan Airport highlighted how weather and geography determine operational risk. Gadeok Island is heavily affected by wind and sea fog and lies along typical typhoon paths, making it vulnerable to adverse conditions. Its weather records are limited, complicating the determination of an optimal runway direction.

Based on my flight experience, the planned east–west runway orientation poses concerns. Winds in the region often blow from 220 degrees, give or take 20 degrees, meaning pilots would frequently face crosswind landings at angles exceeding 45 degrees. Gadeok Island’s proximity to Japan’s Air Defense Identification Zone — roughly 40 kilometers away — raises additional challenges. Flight paths to and from the airport could overlap with those at Gimhae, Jinhae and Sacheon, and aircraft could risk entering Japanese airspace, complicating instrument flight procedures.

Supporters of Gadeok New Airport emphasize two main points. First, many passengers complain about the inconvenience of airport access currently. Second, they argue that the airport would ease the operational limits of Gimhae Airport, which faces shortages of peak-hour slots, parking spots and immigration facilities.

Travelers heading overseas during the Chuseok holiday wait in long lines at the international departures hall of Gimhae International Airport in Gangseo District, Busan, on the morning of Oct. 2. The airport, which handles domestic flights and short-haul routes across Asia, has long been criticized for its limited and outdated facilities. [YONHAP]

If Gimhae’s constraints are the problem, solutions may lie there. Slot shortages could be addressed by extending the airfield southward and creating an additional approach route from the northwest. Reducing the spacing between arriving aircraft and adjusting the curfew by about 30 minutes on both ends could increase capacity. The lack of parking and terminal space could be tackled through cooperation with the Air Force. Relocating certain military warehouses and aviation units could free up land for civil expansion.

Advocates of Gadeok New Airport note that it would reduce noise and allow 24-hour operations. Yet aside from those two advantages, it offers limited benefits over an expanded Gimhae facility. If Gadeok Island cannot open by late 2029, improvements at Gimhae might serve as a practical Plan B to address the needs of the country's southern residents more quickly.

For the sake of national interest and aviation safety, rushing Gadeok Island’s development may not be wise. A more deliberate approach — one that thoroughly examines each technical issue — would better serve the country’s long-term needs.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.