Gimpo Airport is nearing completion of the Business Aviation Center (BAC) to cope with the increase in the number of private business airplanes touching down at the airport, the airport said recently.
International airports equipped with a BAC include Hong Kong Chekrapkok, Changi in Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai Hongchao, Narita in Tokyo, Heathrow in London, Geneva, LA Airport, Dallas Airport, Manila, and Ho Chi Minh, among others.
Private airplanes landing in Korean airports for business and tourism have increased lately, especially in Seoul and Busan after large international meetings were held in Korea like the G20 Summit Meeting in 2010 and the Nuclear Security Summit in 2012.
But Korean airports do not have a special facility for those planes and the passengers, causing discomfort in such matters as the entry checks and airplane maintenance services, signaling the need for special immigration and custom check facilities.
When the minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport visited Saudi Arabia, an official complained that it was hard for the country’s King to visit Korea on a private plane due to the lack of facilities to take care of the plane and the King’s entry procedures, such as passport checks, quarantine and customs inspection, among others.
Korea Airport Corp.’s new BAC is next to the Gimpo Airport Administrative Building and will cost of 45 billion won.
The two-storey building will have a passenger terminal on the ground floor with a VIP room, a passenger lounge and quarantine facility. The second floor will have offices and a resting place for employees. There will also be a hangar some 23,694 square meters wide, enough to accommodate four C-class planes. Under the hangar will be a machinery room, power room, and the parking space for cars. There will also be a parts room and a room for the servicemen.
KAC will run the hangar and passenger terminal, while a civilian company will be given the right to take care of the hangar for maintenance.
Korea Airports Corporation was established in 1980 to carry out construction, management and the operation of airports, and to manage air transportation efficiently. As an organization specializing in airport management, KAC manages and operates 14 airports in Korea including Gimpo, Gimhae, Jeju, Daegu, Muan, Cheongju, and Yangyang international airport. KAC also manages the Area Control Center, 10 VORTACs and Korea Civil Aviation Training Center.
“Under the Vision 2020, we aim to create ‘Biz & Life,’ as a world class company specializing in airport management that provides impressive customer services and fulfills social responsibilities. Highly committed to value, securing aviation safety and achieving customers satisfaction, KAC will continue to provide service which employees can be proud of, satisfy the public and get the trust of the customers in managerial standards and operational excellence in building public confidence,” the KAC said.
In accordance with the trend of world's airport management, KAC has been proceeding with a project called "Sky City." Under the project, KAC has built a shopping and leisure town, medical facilities and cultural places that combine environmentally friendly cultural space and commercial facilities together to transform Gimpo International Airport into an airport of new concept.
Gimpo international airport has been operating six international routes to three countries — Japan, China and Taiwan — since 2003. Also, with the accumulated managerial know-how and constant endeavor on R&D on air navigation systems and airport operation equipment, KAC is leading the aviation IT technology through developing its own IT products such as DVOR, FIS (Flight Information System), and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification).
KAC is planning to focus on investing in improving safety and customer service.
Also, the KAC said it will strive to work harder to fix its stature as "a globally recognized organization specializing in airport operation and management."
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