Jeju International Airport

Jeju Airport began as a Japanese military airstrip built during the Second World War on the island's flat north coast. Civil flights started in 1946, and the field was upgraded steadily as South Korea's economy grew. Jeju itself was being developed on purpose as a resort island, and the airport had to keep pace. The island sits off South Korea's south coast, and flights from the mainland grew steadily.

It was named an international airport in 1968. By then Jeju had become the standard honeymoon destination for Korean couples, in an era when overseas travel was neither easy nor affordable. Domestic demand then became extraordinary. The terminal has been expanded many times, most recently to absorb the growth of low cost airlines after Jeju Air and its rivals were founded in the 2000s.

The route between Seoul Gimpo and Jeju is often ranked the busiest airline route in the world by seats offered. Hundreds of flights a day are run by every Korean airline. Winter winds around Mount Halla can shut the airport for hours and strand tens of thousands of travelers. Because space is tight, South Korea has spent years planning a second airport at Seongsan, delayed for years by local opposition.

Jeju works one main runway, 07/25, plus a shorter crosswind strip, 13/31, that sees little use, pushing huge numbers of flights across a single strip of pavement each day. Domestic flights to Gimpo, Busan, and other mainland cities make up most of the traffic.

Korean Air, Asiana, Jeju Air, Jin Air, T'way, and Air Busan all fly here, with jets turning around in minutes between hops. A separate wing handles international flights to China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Strong winter winds off Mount Halla cause frequent delays, and the airport ranks among the busiest single runway airports in the world.