WORLD ROUTES: Seoul's Incheon Airport Breaks Ground on US$2.5bn Terminal 2

Construction of the Gensler-designed second terminal for South Korea’s Incheon International airport commenced late last month. The US$2.5bn development in Seoul will provide a 7.5 million sq ft terminal with 72 gates, incorporating a train station, additional parking and extravagant traveler amenities such as “lush expanses of indoor green space” including waterfalls and koi ponds, as well as “luxury lifestyle centres” and boutique shopping.

The airport expects the new Terminal 2 to further its reputation as the world’s best airport, as it has been voted by the Airports Council International for eight consecutive years now. Keith Thompson, principal and leader of Gensler’s global aviation design practice says: “We have designed Terminal 2 to make travel at Incheon even more compelling, offering people unprecedented ease and convenience.

“It is a large international terminal yet it will be very intuitive to navigate and present unique experiences like the vast interior gardens featuring native Korean foliage. Travelers will see this as the new benchmark for airports,” he added.

The ground breaking was expected to commence in May this year, with completion in 2017 ahead of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. The four-month delay follows the resignation in February of Incheon Airport’s CEO Lee Chae-wook, who was due to end his five-year term in September.

Incheon International, having opened in 2001, is currently the world’s eighth busiest airport for passengers. Its amenities currently include a golf course. Spa, casino and ice skating rink. Gensler is an global design firm which is also responsible for the design of the JetBlue T5 terminal at JFK International.

This article was reproduced and edited from an original story that appeared on our sister site Global Airport Cities.

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