Incheon Airport becomes busiest for global traffic amid Iran war

Geopolitical conflict in the Middle East has dramatically reshaped global aviation, propelling South Korea's primary aviation gateway to the summit of international passenger traffic for the first time.

Located about 30 miles (48km) west of Seoul, Incheon airport handled 38.39 million international passengers in the first half of 2026, according to preliminary figures compiled by the Airports Council International (ACI), the global trade body for airports. This milestone marks the first time Incheon has claimed the top spot globally since opening in 2001, outstripping traditional heavyweights in a shifting business environment where regional instability has redirected flight paths.

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Industry analysts and officials point to the ongoing conflict involving Iran as a central catalyst for the shift. Reporting detailed by The Guardian and Anadolu Agency indicates that the US-Iran conflict weakened the role of Middle Eastern hubs such as Dubai and reduced capacity on routes to the Middle East. This disruption diverted transfer traffic toward alternative pathways through East Asia.

The Incheon International Airport Corporation noted that these shifting global aviation patterns redirected Europe-bound transfer traffic through South Korea. Consequently, transfer passenger numbers at Incheon jumped 18.1% year-on-year to 4.24 million during the six-month period, while transfer traffic on European routes experienced a massive surge of 63.2% to reach 210,000 passengers.

Overall international passenger traffic at Incheon rose 6.3% year on year overall, driven by both transit shifts and an influx of foreign visitors. Foreigners accounted for 39.3% of Incheon’s passengers in the first half of the year, up from 35.2% for the whole of 2025. That figure reached a record 44.4% in the second quarter, with IIAC attributing the increase largely to growing numbers of visitors from China and Japan, according to local media.

Incheon's historic ascent places it ahead of several major global hubs. Preliminary data from Airports Council International covering 1,234 airports placed Incheon ahead of London Heathrow, which handled 37.79 million international passengers, and Singapore's Changi airport with 34.53 million. While Heathrow, in west London, recorded 40 million passengers in total in the first half of the year, including both domestic and international travellers, its busiest first half on record, its capacity to the Middle East reportedly fell 16.5% owing to the regional conflict. Earlier this week Istanbul overtook Heathrow as Europe’s busiest airport by total passenger numbers. Figures published on Tuesday showed 7.9 million passengers passed through Heathrow’s terminals in July, compared with Istanbul’s 8.15 million.

Incheon has steadily climbed the global rankings, moving from 10th place in 2002 to fifth in 2018 and third in 2024 and 2025. The airport now serves 101 airlines flying to 183 cities, including 158 international passenger destinations. A four-phase expansion completed in late 2024 increased the airport’s annual capacity to 106 million passengers.

“the support of the government, the public’s encouragement and the hard work of everyone stationed at the airport”

Kim Beom-ho, the acting president of IIAC

South Korea also lays claim to the world’s busiest air route. The domestic corridor between Gimpo airport and Jeju island had 14.4 million seats scheduled in 2025, according to the aviation data provider OAG, more than any other route in the world.

Global International Passenger Rankings (First Half of 2026)

Rank	Airport	International Passengers
1	Incheon International Airport	38.39 million
2	London Heathrow Airport	37.79 million
3	Singapore Changi Airport	34.53 million