Incheon International Airport Corporation President and CEO Lee Hag-jae (left) and Delta Air Lines CEO Edward Bastian shake hands at a strategic discussion meeting held at Delta's headquarters in Atlanta, on Wednesday. (IIAC)

ATLANTA – Incheon International Airport has been named the new Asian hub of Delta Air Lines, replacing Japan’s Narita Airport.

Incheon International Airport Corporation announced on Monday that it will collaborate with Delta to expand the Asia-Pacific network, alongside the upcoming launch of the Incheon-Salt Lake City route in June, following a meeting between IIA President and CEO Lee Hag-jae and Delta Air Lines CEO Edward Bastian at Delta's headquarters in Atlanta, on Wednesday.

"I am confident that our partnership with Delta Air Lines will enable Incheon Airport to evolve into a global hub in the rapidly changing aviation landscape," Lee said. "We aspire to set a benchmark for aviation partnerships, sharing a vision to lead the global aviation market as a premier representative airport and airline."

With the new route to Salt Lake City set for June, Incheon Airport will be the only airport in Asia offering direct flights to the US city. This route will allow Incheon to connect with all four of Delta’s core hubs -- Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis and Salt Lake City -- solidifying its position as Delta's primary hub in the region. By connecting all four of Delta’s core hubs, Incheon will rank among Delta's key international hubs outside the US.

As a result, Incheon Airport expects both quantitative growth, such as increased transportation performance, and qualitative growth, including higher transfer rates and an expanded network.

As of 2023, routes to and from the Americas account for 10 percent of Incheon’s total passengers and 31.3 percent of its transit passengers. Previously, Delta operated 312 flights per month to Narita Airport, its former Asian hub, but ceased all Narita-US cities flights on March 28, 2020, and moved to Haneda Airport.

Delta's Senior Vice President of Network Planning Joe Esposito remarked that the decision will be a milestone in pioneering the Asia-Pacific market, while also enabling the gradual expansion of more routes from Incheon.

"We have had a long-standing partnership with Incheon International Airport and see strong potential for it to become the most reliable hub in Asia. Currently, more than 2,000 people connect to the US from the airport each day," Esposito spoke at a press conference following the meeting of the two CEOs, on Thursday. "Compared to Narita Airport, Incheon Airport offers greater consolidation. As the representative airport of South Korea, it significantly enhances communication effectiveness for greater collaborations."

Based on Delta's seat capacity, Incheon Airport is set to establish itself as the leading Asian international hub for Delta. It has moved from third place in Asia in August 2019 to second by August 2024, with expectations to reach first place with 110,298 seats following the introduction of the new Salt Lake City route next year.

Routes to the US yield the highest transfer rate of 40 percent and the largest transfer share of 31.3 percent at Incheon. Enhancing US route capacity and improving transfer facilities are expected to stimulate demand for Asian transfers.

By expanding its Northeast Asia hub network through a partnership with Delta, Incheon Airport anticipates handling 106 million passengers annually in line with the airport's final phase 4 expansion project, expected to be completed by the end of this year.

By Kim Hae-yeon (hykim@heraldcorp.com)