Incheon International Airport has claimed the top spot globally for international passenger traffic in the first half of this year, handling over 38 million travelers, the airport's operator announced Thursday.

This marks the first time since its opening in 2001 that South Korea's primary gateway has achieved the number one ranking worldwide. According to data from the Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC), the airport processed 38.39 million international passengers between January and June, a 6.3% increase compared to the same period last year.

Preliminary statistics from the Airports Council International show that this passenger volume ranked first among 1,234 airports globally, surpassing London Heathrow Airport (37.79 million passengers) and Singapore Changi Airport (34.53 million passengers).

Incheon Airport's global ranking for international passenger traffic has been steadily climbing: it ranked 10th globally in 2002 (20.55 million passengers), rose to 5th in 2018 (67.68 million passengers), and jumped to 3rd globally in 2024 (70.67 million passengers).

An official from Incheon International Airport attributed the rise to the impact of the US-Iran conflict, which has reduced transit business at Middle Eastern airports like Dubai, leading air travelers who previously flew between Dubai and Europe to instead opt for transfer flights via Incheon Airport. In fact, transit passenger volume at Incheon Airport surged 18.1% year-on-year in the first half, reaching 4.24 million passengers. Notably, transit passengers on European routes skyrocketed by 63.2% compared to the same period last year, totaling 210,000 passengers.

In a significant development, the proportion of foreign passengers among Incheon Airport's total travelers hit a record high of 44.4% in the second quarter of this year.