7th Airport Development Plan to Determine Fate of Gyeonggi International Airport, Shape Emerges in Mid-November

The 7th Comprehensive Airport Development Plan (2026-2030), which will determine whether Gyeonggi International Airport is reflected in the national plan, is expected to take shape in mid-next month.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 20th, the ministry plans to hold a public hearing on the 7th Comprehensive Airport Development Plan in mid-November and announce the final plan by year-end.

An official from the ministry stated, "We haven't confirmed the exact date yet, but we plan to hold a public hearing in November," and added, "We are proceeding with the final announcement by year-end."

The public hearing is being reviewed for a single session in Seoul. No separate public hearings are planned in the Gyeonggi region or other areas.

The greatest focus is whether Gyeonggi International Airport is reflected in the national plan.

Gyeonggi Province has been pursuing the construction of Gyeonggi International Airport and has reviewed three candidate sites in Hwaseong, Pyeongtaek, and Icheon. The proposal submitted to the ministry for inclusion in the 7th Comprehensive Airport Development Plan also includes these candidate sites.

Notably, attention is turning back to the project as Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mee-ae reconfirmed her commitment to building Gyeonggi International Airport during the province's National Audit at the National Assembly's Committee on Land, Infrastructure and Transport held the previous day.

In response to questions from Democratic Party lawmaker Yeom Tae-young (Suwon District), Governor Choo emphasized the necessity of proceeding with the project, stating, "It doesn't make sense that there is no airport in Gyeonggi Province, which produces the most semiconductors and has sufficient demand for advanced air cargo."

She also announced that the "Research Project on Gyeonggi International Airport Candidate Site Analysis and Hinterland Development Strategy Establishment," which had been halted due to conflict of interest controversy regarding the contractor, has been decided to resume after a self-investigation determined there were no issues.

Suwon City is also pursuing the construction of the Gyeonggi Integrated International Airport linked with the relocation of Suwon Military Airport and has requested inclusion in the 7th Comprehensive Airport Development Plan.

During a ruling party and government policy meeting with National Assembly members from the Suwon area in July, the city requested cooperation on reflecting Gyeonggi International Airport in the national plan and enacting special legislation related to military airport relocation.

In contrast, Hwaseong City is opposed to the relocation of Suwon Military Airport to Hwaseong. Recently, it has been objecting to the investigation methods and sample allocation of the "Research Project for Efficient Conflict Management Regarding the Relocation of Suwon Military Airport" being pursued by the Defense Ministry.

The Defense Ministry's research plan involves conducting a survey of approximately 1,000 residents in the Hwaseong area, including 60% of residents in Mansei Ward, where the preliminary relocation candidate site Hwawong District is located, and 40% of residents from other areas. Hwaseong City is demanding that the survey target only residents of Mansei Ward.

The Hwaseong City Council's Special Committee on Opposition to Suwon Military Airport Relocation to Hwaseong also announced a resolution on the 16th opposing the Defense Ministry's research and the introduction of special legislation related to military airport relocation.

However, the reflection of Gyeonggi International Airport in the national plan and the relocation of Suwon Military Airport are separate procedures. Even if a civil airport in southern Gyeonggi is included in the national plan, the military airport relocation site must go through procedures including a resident referendum under the relevant special law, local government relocation applications, and deliberation by the relocation site selection committee.

Accordingly, the public hearing in November is expected to be the first critical juncture in determining the possibility of Gyeonggi International Airport being reflected in the national plan.

An official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said regarding whether Gyeonggi International Airport will be included in the plan, "Such details will likely be disclosed on the day of the public hearing."

However, since what is disclosed at the public hearing is a plan, not the final confirmed version, the actual inclusion will be confirmed in the final announcement after further review procedures.