"Arrived in Tokyo, But Luggage Vanished"... Why It's Happening Repeatedly at Incheon Airport

It has been revealed that checked bags failing to be loaded onto flights have occurred repeatedly at Incheon International Airport, which boasts a world-class Baggage Handling System (BHS).

According to the aviation industry on September 19, 16 checked bags failed to be loaded onto four Jin Air flights departing from Terminal 2 of Incheon Airport on September 4.

Just six days later, on September 10, a similar incident occurred again, with 10 checked bags left off five Jin Air flights.

It was found that these incidents mostly took place on morning flights heading to Japan, such as Tokyo and Fukuoka.

At Incheon Airport, checked luggage is automatically transported and sorted by flight. However, it is reported that baggage screening was delayed at the time, preventing check-in counter belts from operating properly.

The airline notified passengers of the missing checked luggage and arranged for them to receive their bags via subsequent flights.

In addition, the airline sent an official letter to Incheon International Airport Corporation, requesting improvements regarding the non-loading issue caused by security screening delays and relief for damages.

Inside and outside the industry, the recent situation is considered unusual, given that Incheon Airport's rate of baggage non-loading stood at just 2 per 1 million bags as of last year.

This is because Terminal 2 processes an average of about 100,000 bags per day, yet more than 10 cases of non-loading have been repeated.

During the same period, not only Jin Air but also other airlines located in Terminal 2, such as Air Seoul and Air Busan, are known to have experienced similar issues, meaning the scale of damage could increase.

The corporation estimates that the failure to load luggage occurred because security screening was delayed during peak hours when transfer and departure volumes temporarily surged.

Some point out that the suspension of security screening personnel from Terminal 1 supporting Terminal 2 starting September 1 has affected operational disruptions in security screening.

Following Asiana Airlines' relocation to Terminal 2 early this year, about 50 personnel in the morning and around 10 in the afternoon from Terminal 1's security screening staff had been deployed to support Terminal 2.

However, as the labor union and management of Incheon Airport Security, a subsidiary of Incheon Airport, failed to reach an agreement on the personnel support, the support shifts ended starting this month.

Instead of the personnel support method, the union argues that a fundamental manpower shortage should be resolved by recruiting new security screening personnel.

With the labor and management failing to narrow their differences, and with consecutive holidays such as Chuseok, National Foundation Day, and Hangeul Day approaching, there are concerns that cases of baggage non-loading could recur.

On September 27, the final day of the Chuseok holiday, the daily number of airport users is projected to reach 245,318, making it expected to be the busiest day during the holiday period.

An official from Incheon International Airport Corporation said, "We view recent cases of luggage non-loading as a temporary phenomenon," adding, "We plan to maintain an emergency work system to prevent similar problems from occurring."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.