Despite an increase in travel with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions this year, passenger numbers at Incheon International Airport are not expected to recover to pre-pandemic levels until 2025.

According to the Incheon International Airport Corporation's Airport Industry Technology Research Institute on Wednesday, the number of passengers using the airport this year is forecast to surpass 17 million, up 434 percent from last year.

The institute also projects that around 47 million will use the airport next year, only 67 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

The institute explained that while air demand is showing signs of recovery amid the easing of quarantine measures, the stricter rules in neighboring countries such as China impose limitations.