PASSENGERS on an AirAsia flight from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to South Korea were left confused when the aircraft unexpectedly landed at Gimpo International Airport instead of its scheduled destination, Incheon International Airport.
The flight had been scheduled to arrive at Incheon at around 7.50pm.
According to Korea JoongAng Daily, when the pilot announced that the plane had arrived at Incheon, passengers looked out the window and realised they were at Gimpo instead.
“A passenger mentioned we were at Gimpo, not Incheon, and even the crew looked surprised and asked us to confirm,” said a 38-year-old passenger surnamed Kim.
“Once the crew realised it really was Gimpo, they became visibly flustered. Many passengers had already begun taking out their luggage, thinking we had arrived.”
Kim said travellers were given conflicting explanations, including turbulence and a fuel shortage, but claimed there was no sign the plane had been refuelled.
According to The Korea Herald, another passenger, Lee Mi-Hyun, said the crew appeared unprepared and failed to manage the situation during the two-hour delay before departing for Incheon.
“They seemed just as confused as the passengers. No water was offered, and there was almost no food left on board, leaving passengers with children upset. Some even said they would rather get off at Gimpo before the plane departed for Incheon,” she was quoted as saying.
The aircraft remained at Gimpo for about two hours before taking off again at 10.03pm, finally arriving at Incheon at 10.56pm.
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