Chungcheongbuk-do

- Previous record was 610,000 in 2016, exceeding 1 million for the first time since opening in 1997 - - New routes to Cebu, Harbin, Sapporo, etc. are expected to be introduced in the second half of the year - - The key to continuous growth is the construction of a new runway exclusively for civilian aircrafts - Cheongju International Airport, which attracted attention by breaking the record for the most passengers for two consecutive years in 2022 and 2023, has once again created a meaningful record. 2022: 3.17M (3.17M domestic + 2,000 international), 2023: 3.69M (3.17M domestic + 520,000 international) Chungcheongbuk-do announced on the 5th that the number of international passengers at Cheongju International Airport exceeded 1 million (1,000,827) as of Mon, Sep. 2. This is the first achievement since Cheongju International Airport opened in 1997, with the previous record being 610,000 in 2016. ※ 2016: 2.73M (2.12M domestic + 610,000 international) In particular, it is significant that it has become the fourth regional airport to achieve the title of 1 million international passengers, following Gimhae (Feb.), Gimpo (Apr.), and Jeju (Jun.) among regional airports nationwide. The increase in passengers at Cheongju Airport is expected to continue in the second half of the year. Although most airlines are still reviewing their winter flight schedules, some confirmed new routes such as Harbin, China (Oct. 14？ / regular), Zhengzhou, China (Sep. 14？Oct. 19 / regular), Cebu, Philippines (Oct. 5？Oct. 27 / irregular), Sapporo and Obihiro, Japan (Oct. 3？Oct. 6 / irregular) are scheduled to start. There are also news of routes under consideration such as Shanghai and Shenyang, China, and it is expected that Cheongju Airport will surpass 4 million passengers (domestic + international / first time since opening) by November. Meanwhile, Chungcheongbuk-do plans to further increase the growth of passengers at Cheongju Airport to secure the justification and necessity for the construction of a new runway exclusively for civilian aircraft. Next year, they plan to focus on promoting routes and the new runway construction project. Along with this, the Comprehensive Plan for Cheongju International Airport Development Research Service being independently pursued by Chungcheongbuk-do is also progressing without any setbacks. They plan to actively respond until the end of next year when the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's 7th Comprehensive Airport Development Plan is completed, by securing technical reviews, demand analysis, and government response logic for the construction of a civilian-only runway. An official from the Chungcheongbuk-do Provincial Office stated, "The construction of a runway exclusively for civilian aircraft is absolutely necessary for the continuous growth and revitalization of Cheongju International Airport," and added, "The period from the second half of this year to next year is very important to reflect it in the national plan. We ask for the interest and capacity of the citizens for the new runway construction project for civilian aircraft."