Refer Report
In the future, all passengers who booked a flight but did not actually board the flight will be eligible for a refund of the passenger airport usage fee (airport usage fee) included in the flight. Previously, only passengers who canceled their tickets within the validity period were eligible for a refund of the airport usage fee.
Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 duty-free zone is crowded with travelers. Yonhap News
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 19th that it will prepare a revision to the Airport Facilities Act with such content and announce legislation by the 30th of next month. The international airport usage fee is 17,000 won for Incheon and Gimpo, and 12,000 won for other airports. The domestic airport usage fee is 5,000 won for Incheon, and 4,000 won for other airports.
According to the current airport facility laws, Incheon International Airport Corporation and Korea Airports Corporation can only collect passenger airport usage fees from ‘people who use the airport’, and airlines collect them on their behalf. Passengers who cancel their reservations within the validity period of their tickets can receive a refund of their airfare and airport usage fees minus a certain penalty.
However, passengers who did not cancel their tickets and did not board the plane were not entitled to claim a refund of airport usage fees. The airport usage fees that were not refunded were managed as miscellaneous income for the airline. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport estimates that the amount of money processed as miscellaneous income each year amounts to 2 billion won.
The deadline for claiming a refund of airport usage fees is 5 years from the scheduled boarding date. A system will also be established to inform the public of the fact within the refund period so that they can be aware of the changed system. If airport usage fees are not claimed for 5 years, they will be transferred to the airport account of the Transportation Facilities Special Account so that they can be used for public interest purposes.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism are also pushing forward with a revision to the Tourism Promotion and Development Fund Act to allow for withdrawal of unused departure tax payments worth 10,000 won.
Source: Korean