Departure
94%
vs 95% ▼ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Gimhae International Airport (RKPK), also known as Busan Airport, lies on the western edge of Busan in South Korea's south-east and is the principal gateway to the Busan-Gyeongnam region. It is a joint civil-military field, sharing its runways with the Republic of Korea Air Force's Gimhae Air Base, and handles a substantial mix of domestic and international airline traffic. For a visiting simulator pilot it offers a busy, mountain-ringed approach environment with parallel runways, full ILS and an active mixed civil/military circuit.
Gimhae International Airport sits on the western fringe of Busan, South Korea's second-largest city, and is named after the neighbouring city of Gimhae. Opened in 1976 and operated by the Korea Airports Corporation on behalf of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the airport is also home to Gimhae Air Base, making it a dual-use civil and military aerodrome. It is the main hub for Air Busan and Korean Air and an operating base for Jeju Air and Jin Air, giving it a lively mix of regional airline movements alongside military traffic, which makes it an interesting and demanding destination for a VFR or IFR sim flight.
The airport is located in Gangseo District on the western side of Busan, a large metropolitan area on South Korea's south-eastern coast. It is surrounded by mountainous terrain and urban development, a factor that has driven plans for a replacement airport on Gadeokdo to meet growing demand. As a joint civil-military facility it sits within controlled airspace typical of a major international airport, with approach, arrival and departure control services provided alongside tower and ground control.
Gimhae has two parallel hard-surfaced runways, both lit. The longer, 18R/36L, is 10,498 feet in length and is equipped with an ILS on the 36L end. The second, 18L/36R, is 8,997 feet long and carries an ILS on the 36R end. Wikipedia notes that runway 18L/36R has historically been used for military purposes associated with Gimhae Air Base, though increasing civil traffic has led to consideration of opening it more fully to airliners.
Radio services at Gimhae include Tower on 118.1 MHz, Ground on 121.9 MHz, Clearance Delivery, and Departure on 125.5 MHz. Approach control, callsign Brickwall Approach, operates on 135.7 MHz, with Arrival on 119.2 MHz. ATIS broadcasts on 126.6 MHz, and there is also a Clearance Delivery-associated frequency of 121.8 MHz. An operations frequency, callsign Cowboy Ops, is available on 133.825 MHz, with an additional ACP frequency of 120 MHz. Both main runway ends (36L and 36R) are served by ILS approaches.
Gimhae Airport opened in August 1976, taking over commercial air traffic from Busan's older airport. A new domestic terminal was completed in May 1983. Korean Air began a route to Honolulu in October 1992, and in April 2002 Northwest Airlines started service connecting through its Tokyo-Narita hub. In March 2007 Lufthansa launched the first direct route between Busan and Europe, flying to Munich via Seoul, and seven months later President Roh Moo-hyun formally opened the airport's new international terminal on 31 October 2007. Delta Air Lines, successor to Northwest after their merger, ended the Tokyo link in May 2012, and Lufthansa withdrew its Busan service in March 2014. Because the airport continues to share its runways and facilities with Gimhae Air Base, photography and video of the apron, runway and military stations are prohibited under airport rules.
Gimhae International Airport today functions as a major commercial hub for Air Busan and Korean Air, and an operating base for Jeju Air and Jin Air, with a wide network of domestic and international routes across East and Southeast Asia. It remains a joint civil-military aerodrome shared with Gimhae Air Base, and continued growth in traffic has pushed the field beyond its original design capacity, prompting construction of a new airport on Gadeokdo to serve the region in future. Given its status as a busy international and military airport, prior permission would be expected for any general aviation or simulator-style visiting movement.