Travellers passing through Gimhae International Airport, located on the western end of Busan, South Korea, are in for a treat – the International Terminal was constructed in 2007, and is still virtually brand-spanking new.
But while the International Terminal is stylish and fresh, there is little in the way of entertainment or distractions – so perhaps take a good book or portable game.
What’s more there is a curfew in place that prevents planes taking off and landing between 11pm and 6am. This means that any passengers left stranded by a delayed flight or a long stopover aren’t able to grab a few hours shut-eye on an airport bench – everything shuts down after the last flight of the day.
Still, it’s a busy airport, with nearly seven million passengers coming in on flights to Gimhae International Airport each year from destinations such as Beijing, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Taipei, Vladivostok, Seoul, Guam and Munich.
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There is a free shuttle bus between the international and domestic terminals every ten minutes between 7:30am and 7pm and every 20 minutes between 7pm and 9pm.
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Public transport options, including bus, subway and taxi, are located in the fronts of the terminals.
Train: An exciting development scheduled for the airport, slated for completion in 2011, is a light rail transit line that will connect the airport to the Busan subway network and the city centre. Currently the rail is a 30-minute bus ride from the airport, on the 307 bus. Gupo is the nearest station.
Bus: A number of different types of buses run from Gimhae to various destinations across Busan. Bus No. 307 goes to Deokcheon Station, just get off at the Gupo stop and you can connect to the train and subway.
Taxi: There is no set price from Gimhae International, but a fare to the city centre during daylight hours will cost about KRW15,000 including tolls (about £10).
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Gimhae has several parking options with space for almost 4,000 vehicles. There is space for 1,000 vehicles at the domestic terminal, 1,180 vehicles at the overseas terminal, 600 vehicles at the freight terminal and 550 vehicles in the fixed monthly parking lot. Parking is charged at KRW 600 (about £0.33) for anything under four hours.
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Money and communications: Pusan and Shinhan banks are located in the International Terminal, as well as a currency exchange office. A post office is located on the first floor of the International Terminal, and offers international calls. Local payphones are scattered throughout both terminals.
Luggage: The baggage claim areas are located on the ground floors of the terminals. Baggage storage facilities are on offer on the second floor of the International Terminal or ground floor of the Domestic Terminal, and are open until the last flight of the day.
Conference and business: A business centre is located on the first floor of the International Terminal. On offer are meeting rooms, telephones, fax machines and computers.
Other facilities: A shoe-shine service is available on the first floor of the International Terminal and second floor of the Domestic Terminal. A free Internet lounge is available for passengers’ use on the third floor of the International Terminal, and a free Internet kiosk is located on the second floor of the Domestic Terminal.
Wi-Fi: The entire airport is a free Wi-Fi zone.
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Content Manager at Cheapflights whose travel life can be best summed up as BC (before children) and PC (post children). We only travel during the school holidays so short-haul trips and staycations are our specialities!