Busan Gimhae International Airport (PUS)
History, Facts and Overview

(Busan, Republic Of Korea)

Gimhae International Airport began its long life in 1958 in the Gangseo-gu area, when it went by the name of the Suyong Airfield and was used for a limited number of civil flights. By the early 1960s, the number of airlines and services were increased and the airport's status elevated, being named in 1963 as the Busan International Airport.

However, by the 1970s, it was clear that the airport had outgrown its current site and a move was necessary to allow continued growth. In 1976 it was relocated to its present site and relaunched as the Gimhae International Airport (PUS). With longer runways allowing 747 jumbo jets and the latest in telecommunications equipment, the passenger numbers soared virtually overnight.


Many modernisations were made over the following years, including improvements to the cargo terminal, larger shopping areas, the addition of train ticket machines and additional parking spaces, which now total around 4,000. In 2007, a new international passenger terminal was constructed.

Shopping and eating options at Busan Gimhae Airport include well-stocked duty-free stores, such as the Dongwha, Lotte, Paradise and Shilla outlets. Also onsite is the popular Lotte Department Store, which also features its own food court area. Items bought at duty-free shops within the city of Busan can often be delivered to the airport and collected when you depart.

The Busan Gimhae Airport is also home to a good range of cafés and restaurants, serving Chinese, Western and traditional Korean dishes. A good coffee shop awaits on the third floor of the Domestic Terminal, and if you have time, be sure to pay a visit to the nearby art gallery, where many appealing paintings are displayed. Other terminal facilities include a medical centre, smoking rooms, widespread banks and cash machines, a barbershop and beauty salon.

The International Terminal features a business room on the ground floor of the building, where meeting rooms and good facilities are available. An executive lounge is also available in the same building, on the first floor.