Concentrated Impact on Gwangju and Jeonnam Residents in Muan Aircraft Accident

The Nearest Airport for International Flights in Gwangju

Muan International Airport in Jeonnam, where the passenger plane accident occurred, is mainly used by people from Gwangju and Jeonnam. Therefore, it is highly likely that the damage was concentrated in this area.

On the 29th, Yonhap News reported that the majority of passengers using Muan International Airport are residents of nearby Gwangju and Jeonnam. Since Gwangju Airport only operates domestic flights, Muan is the closest airport where international flights can be accessed from Gwangju.

Yeosu Airport also only operates domestic flights, so residents from the western Jeonnam region including Muan, as well as from the eastern regions such as Yeosu, Suncheon, and Gwangyang, use Muan Airport for international flights.

On the morning of the 29th, an aircraft landing at Muan International Airport in Jeonnam veered off the runway and collided with the outer fence wall. The photo shows the fire department conducting a rescue operation at the accident site. Photo by Yonhap News.

Since the 8th, Muan Airport has started operating routes including the accident flight’s destination, Bangkok, Thailand, as well as Nagasaki, Japan; Taipei, Taiwan; and Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Possibly because of this, Muan Airport has seen a significant increase in passengers this year due to the expansion of routes to Jeju and overseas destinations. Last year, it recorded 250,000 passengers, but this year, the number exceeded 280,000 by October.

The majority of passengers on the accident flight are presumed to have been Christmas travelers. According to the travel industry on that day, some travel agencies had chartered the flight to recruit Christmas travelers.

Jeju Air flight 7C2216, which crashed during landing, was carrying a total of 181 people, including 175 passengers and 6 crew members. It is estimated that most of them died except for those rescued, as the plane landed on the runway without lowering the landing gear, collided with the airport outer wall, and exploded.

The accident aircraft approaching runway 1 at Muan Airport attempted a first landing but could not land normally and went around (Go Around). It then attempted a second landing but crashed. The aircraft, which attempted a belly landing, was unable to reduce speed until it reached the end of the runway.

Nine days ago, an aircraft carrying 181 passengers crashed at Muan International Airport in Jeonnam, and 119 ambulances are heading to the accident site to transport the injured. Photo by Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Fire Headquarters

Local residents are anxiously monitoring the accident response situation while checking on the safety of their family, friends, and acquaintances.

On the 29th, Jeonnam Province and Gwangju Metropolitan City activated a Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to handle the accident at Muan International Airport.

The Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters is led by Governor Kim Young-rok and consists of 13 working teams. The provincial headquarters dispatched staff to Muan Airport and Mokpo Korean Hospital, where the injured were transported, and set up a temporary mortuary near Muan Airport. Mayor Kang Ki-jung instructed in a meeting to prepare for the disaster situation, the transportation of casualties to hospitals, and support measures for the bereaved families.