Seoul's Incheon International Airport (IIAC) has compromised in its dispute with the International Air Transport Association, setting user charges 20% above those at the South Korean capital's former Gimpo gateway, rather than 40% higher, as proposed.
Incheon opens on 29 March, after which Gimpo will be downgraded to a domestic facility. The operator says the landing charge for a 395t Boeing 747-400 with 312 passengers, including parking for 2h, will be $2,800, and that passenger aircraft charges will be reviewed after a year. Fees for similar sized cargo aircraft will be $2,675, fixed for three years. A 25% discount will be offered to freighter flights between 23:00 and 05:30.
IIAC says the charges were set after talks with IATA failed to find a compromise, and that IATA's preferred rate of 13% above Gimpo was not "a realistic benchmark", given that the old airport was debt-free. It adds that the charges will still be 31% lower than Osaka Kansai and 52% lower than Shanghai Pudong.
Source: Flight International
