Inchon Airport to open Mar. 29 ; access road toll to be lowered

A meeting of cabinet members, other government officials and experts resolved Friday to open Inchon International Airport on Mar. 29 as scheduled and sharply reduce bus fares and access road tolls between downtown Seoul and the airport. The meeting received a report from Inchon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) president Kang Dong-Seok on the results of trial runs conducted since last June. He said that the remaining problems are not so serious as to call for postponement of the planned opening and that those defects uncovered by the media and the German consulting firm DLiA were either remedied or are now being corrected. The session was convened and chaired by Prime Minister Lee Han-Dong.

Kang said a dry run Wednesday showed that the baggage handling system (BHS) was operating at a capacity of 597 pieces an hour, close to the designated target of 600 per 14 lines and that the degree of accuracy was 99.8 percent. Minister of Construction and Transportation Kim Yoon-Ki said the number of foggy days on Yongjong-do is about half that around Kimpo. He explained away the unusually thick fog on Mar. 2 in and around the island as being a result of the unprecedented amount of snow over the preceding 10 years.

Kim said he would see that bus companies cut fares to the airport to 5,500 won and that limousine services lower fees to 12,000 won. They are demanding higher fares of 11,000 won and 18,000 won, respectively. Kim said he would also lower bus and limousine fares for daily commuters to the airport from 3,500 won to 2,000 won and from 6,000 won to 3,000 won, respectively. He added that the toll for buses using the airport expressway should be brought down to 6,600 won from the 14,000 won sought by the road management firm. Taxis carrying no passengers ought to be exempted from the highway toll, Kim added.

Yonhap