Impact of Aviation Emissions and its Changes Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic on Air Quality in South Korea

This study analyzed the impact of aviation emissions based on the 2017 CAPSS (Clean Air Policy Support System) data. We focused on major airports in South Korea and examined the concentration of NO2 and PM2.5 by the WRF-SMOKE-CMAQ modeling system. Furthermore, the number of flights in Korea greatly declined in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. To assess the impact of COVID-19 on aviation emissions, time resolution data were newly derived and air pollutant emissions for 2020 were calculated. Additional BAU (Business as Usual) emissions were calculated as well for comparison. Among airports in Korea, RKSI (Incheon International Airport) had the greatest impact on air quality in nearby areas. Changes in emissions due to COVID-19 showed a large deviation by airports for domestic emissions while international emissions had a consistent decrease. The reduced emissions had the strongest impact on air quality in the RKSI area as well. By analyzing aviation emissions due to COVID-19, this study confirmed the notable relationship with the pandemic and air quality. We conclusively recommend that policymakers and industry take note of trends in aviation emissions while establishing future atmospheric environment plans.