Travel
Busan’s Gadeok New Airport to open temporarily in 2029, officially in 2030
haps Magazine Korea
May 20, 2024
(Image: City of Busan)
Gadeok New Airport is set for a temporary opening at the end of 2029, with full operations commencing by the end of 2030.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s recent bid notice, the airport’s development project is slated for a construction period of 2,190 days, or approximately six years, beginning from the project’s start date.
The temporary opening at the end of December 2029 is intended to ensure smooth arrivals, departures, and passenger movement, while the remaining landfill, paving, and auxiliary civil engineering work continue until the end of 2030.
The site construction, estimated at 10.53 trillion won, will follow a parallel design-construction method, allowing simultaneous progress on design and construction. The bid process places significant weight on design and price scores, with the highest combined score winning the bid. Eligible bidders must pass a pre-screening process, with applications due by the 5th of the following month.
Consortiums for the project are limited to a maximum of 12 companies, each required to hold at least a 4% participation rate, equivalent to 421.2 billion won. Companies solely involved in design are exempt from this limit. The bid submission period is from November 14th to 19th, allowing time for the preparation of basic and detailed design documents. Consortiums that do not win the bid will receive compensation for their design efforts.
Additionally, the Ministry has set restrictions to ensure fair competition: only two of the top 10 civil engineering and construction companies can form a consortium together. Local companies from Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam are encouraged to participate, with additional points awarded in the bid evaluation based on their involvement.
Construction is expected to begin with preliminary work in December, focusing on tasks that do not impact the environmental assessment. The main construction phase will commence in June of the following year.