A record number of travelers crowded incheon International Airport on Jan. 3, the first sunday of the new year.

According to Incheon International Airport Corporation, 87,067 passangers were scheduled to arrive at the terminals. In total, there were 176,432 passengers using the airport. both total passengers and departing passengers reached their highest numbers since the airport opened in 2001. Previously, the largert number of departing passengers was 86,344, set on Feb. 18 last year, the first day of the Lunar New Year holidays. The largest number of total passengers using the airport in a day was 168,629 on Feb.22, also of 2015, the last day of the Lunar New Year holiday. The record is expected to be broken again next month when some 93,438 outbond passengers are scheduled to use the airport on Feb. 5, this year’s start of the Lunar New Year holiday.

Several flights were also delayed. According to the corporation , more than 100 flights were delayed Sunday. Among them, approximately 50 flights were delayed doe to late baggage delivery service.

Overcrowding of passengers peaked between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., while several airlines suffered from departure delays due to overbooking for the loading cargo.

source : The Korea Herald Newspaper; January 5, 2016