[News Today] AIRPORT PACKED AHEAD OF HOLIDAY

[LEAD]
As the Seol holiday is extended, more travelers are heading abroad. Incheon International Airport expects to see a surge in passengers, exceeding even pre-pandemic numbers. This Saturday is set to be the busiest.

[REPORT]
Travelers leaving the country are lined up at the airport.

It's early morning and the lunar New Year has yet to start, but it's already very crowded.

Han Se-ah / Suwon resident
It's school break so we're visiting grandma in Japan. We'll stay there for 2 weeks through the holiday.

Airline counters are also packed. There's a long wait for checking in baggage.

Seo Hoi-ran / Changwon resident
The lines are so long, it will take some time. I have been waiting an hour since 6:30 a.m.

Travelers with prior experience note on social media that boarding time at Incheon International Airport takes longer than usual and even arriving 3 to 4 hours earlier may not be enough.

Choi Ji-hye / Incheon resident
I was told to come 3 hours earlier and so I came early but am stunned to see the long line.

The number of airport users is expected to rise even further when the Lunar New Year holiday kicks off this weekend.

Starting Friday and throughout the ten-day period, over 2.1 million passengers are expected to pass through Incheon airport.

This equals more than 210-thousand on a daily average which is a record high even surpassing 2019 levels before the pandemic.

Departure gates will open 30 minutes earlier during the holiday period to ease congestion.

Bae Jong-oh / Incheon Int'l Airport Corp.
Some security check points will open early with added equipment to help ease congestion.

Airport officials also advise passengers to utilize smart pass services incorporated with facial recognition technology to save time.