Seoul, Oct 12 (IANS) The number of unauthorised drones detected in the airspace surrounding Incheon International Airport, the main gateway located west of Seoul, has dropped significantly this year, data showed on Sunday.

According to data released by Incheon International Airport Corp., eight illegal drone flights without prior approval from authorities were detected within the airport’s controlled airspace of a 9.3-kilometre radius between January and September.

During the same nine-month period last year, 24 unauthorised drone flights were detected, while 74 cases were reported two years ago. In 2022, the number reached 119 in the cited period, reports Yonhap news agency.

The airport operator attributed the decline to the enforcement of the revised Aviation Safety Act, which increased the maximum fine for illegal drone operations and continued public awareness campaigns and stronger notices about drone no-fly zones.

Meanwhile, more than 210,000 passengers traveled through Incheon International Airport per day during this year’s eight-day Chuseok holiday period, marking the highest daily average for the holiday, data showed on Sunday.

An average of 217,613 travellers used the airport from Oct. 2-9, up 6.4 percent from the same period a year ago, according to data compiled by the airport. A total of 1.74 million passengers used South Korea’s main gateway airport, west of Seoul, during the period.

The figure is the highest daily average for the Chuseok holiday since the airport opened in 2001 and the second highest among all holiday periods, following the record daily average of 219,026 logged during this year’s Lunar New Year holiday, the airport said.

By region, 448,081 people traveled to and from Southeast Asia, followed by Japan with 431,827 and China with 296,168, the data showed.

—IANS

na/