Three Chinese carriers – China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Air China restarted their regular ticketing operations at around 5:20 p.m., following hours of near-paralysis, The Korea Herald reported.
The disruption began at around 4:30 a.m. due to instability in the global network of U.S.-based aviation communications provider ARINC, according to Incheon International Airport Corporation.
Connectivity problems affected 13 airlines, including eight operating from Terminal 1 and five from Terminal 2, Seoul Economic Daily reported.
The three Chinese carriers were hit hardest, with at least 35 flights delayed.
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Passengers at Incheon International Airport, South Korea. Photo by AFP |
By 3:30 p.m., an estimated 1,200 passengers were waiting at check-in counters operated by the affected airlines, resulting in severe congestion and lengthy queues.
To ease the backlog, the airlines introduced limited manual check-in procedures for passengers whose flights were due to depart soon, Korea Joongang Daily reported.
The airport deployed around 50 additional staff members to help direct passengers and manage queues,
Although the technical problem has been resolved, the airport is continuing to assess its overall impact on passenger travel plans.
Incheon ranked Asia’s second best airport after Singapore Changi in the 2026 Skytrax World Airport Awards. It handled 38.39 million international passengers in the first half of this year, a 6.3% increase from the same period last year.
Incheon saw the strongest growth among the top 10 international airports in terms of scheduled seat capacity in October, according to British aviation firm OAG.
October and November are typically peak tourism months in South Korea, as tourists flock to see the country’s autumn foliage.