Editing Transport in South Korea (section)

==Air travel==

[[Korean Air]] was founded by the government in 1962 to replace [[Korean National Airlines]] and has been privately owned since 1969. It was South Korea's sole airline until 1988. In 2008, Korean Air served 2,164 million passengers, including 1,249 million international passengers.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.koreanair.com/local/kr/gd/eng/au/ci/eng_au_ci_ov.htm|title = Company Info / Overview|publisher=Korean Air|access-date=2005-05-19}}</ref>

A second carrier, [[Asiana Airlines]], was established in 1988 and originally served Seoul, [[Jeju City|Jeju]] and [[Busan]] domestically and [[Bangkok]], [[Singapore]], [[Japan]] and [[Los Angeles]] internationally. By 2006, Asiana served 12 domestic cities, 66 cities in 20 foreign countries for commercial traffic and 24 cities in 17 countries for cargo traffic.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://chkin.flyasiana.com/English/Fly2007/Contents/about/company/outline/general_info.jsp|title= Overview / General Info|publisher= Asiana Airlines|access-date= 2005-05-19|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://archive.today/20120708115623/http://chkin.flyasiana.com/English/Fly2007/Contents/about/company/outline/general_info.jsp|archive-date= 2012-07-08}}</ref>

Combined, South Korean airlines currently serve 297 international routes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.mltm.go.kr/USR/WPGE0201/m_19549/DTL.jsp|title=International Aviation Policy|publisher=Ministry of Land, Transportation and Maritime Affairs|access-date=2005-05-19|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090915184454/https://english.mltm.go.kr/USR/WPGE0201/m_19549/DTL.jsp|archive-date=2009-09-15}}</ref>{{Update inline|date=January 2025|reason=2005 will be 10 years ago, and the overall aviation scene has drastically changed by then.}} Smaller airliners, such as [[Air Busan]], [[Jin Air]], [[Eastar Jet]] and [[Jeju Air]], provide domestic service and Japan/Southeast Asian route with lower fares.

South Korea contains the [[List of busiest passenger air routes|busiest passenger air corridor]] as measured by passengers per year.  Over ten million people traveled between Seoul Gimpo Airport and Jeju in 2015 alone. As competition is fierce and prices affordable, the trend has been increasingly towards more air travel on this route. Similarly, air travel is also growing between Jeju and other mainland airports. There is discussion about a [[Jeju Undersea Tunnel]] which would make many of these domestic flights redundant.

Along other routes, air travel competes with the KTX [[high speed rail]] service and has declined in the 2000s and 2010s.

===Airports===
{{See also|List of airports in South Korea}}
Construction of South Korea's largest airport, [[Incheon International Airport]], was completed in 2001, in time for the [[2002 FIFA World Cup]]. By 2007, the airport was serving 30 million passengers a year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.airport.kr/notice/NoticeView.iia?functioncode=46&bulletinid=5049|title=Incheon International Airport celebrates its eighth year|publisher=Incheon International Airport Corp.|access-date=2005-05-20|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101224233804/http://www.airport.kr/notice/NoticeView.iia?functioncode=46&bulletinid=5049|archive-date=2010-12-24}}</ref> The airport has been selected as the "Best Airport Worldwide" for four consecutive years since 2005 by [[Airports Council International]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.airport.kr/notice/NoticeView.iia?functioncode=46&bulletinid=4994|title=Incheon International Airport, Best Airport Worldwide for 4 Years Straight|publisher=Incheon International Airport Corp.|access-date=2005-05-20}}</ref>

Seoul is also served by [[Gimpo International Airport]] (formerly Kimpo International Airport).  International routes mainly serve [[Incheon International Airport|Incheon]], while domestic services mainly use [[Gimpo Airport|Gimpo]].  Other major airports are in [[Gimhae Airport|Busan]] and [[Jeju Airport|Jeju]].

There are 103 airports in [[South Korea]] (1999 est.) and these may be classified as follows.

'''Airports with paved runways:'''
<br />''total:''
67
<br />''over 3,047 m:''
1
<br />''2,438 to 3,047 m:''
18
<br />''1,524 to 2,437 m:''
15
<br />''914 to 1,523 m:''
13
<br />''under 914 m:''
20 (1999 est.)

'''Airports with unpaved runways:'''
<br />''total:''
36
<br />''over 3,047 m:''
1
<br />''914 to 1,523 m:''
3
<br />''under 914 m:''
32 (1999 est.)

'''Heliports:'''
203 (1999 est.)