68,000 Cancellations in One Day
Concerns Grow Over Operating the Same Aircraft Model
After a Jeju Air passenger plane crashed at Muan International Airport, resulting in the deaths of most passengers, there was a massive cancellation of Jeju Air flight bookings for about 24 hours.
On the 30th, the day after the Muan Jeju Air disaster, a citizen is looking at a Jeju Air passenger plane preparing for takeoff at the domestic terminal of Gimpo Airport in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News
According to Jeju Air on the 30th, the number of flight cancellations from midnight the previous day to 1 p.m. on the same day was approximately 68,000. By route, there were about 33,000 domestic cancellations and about 34,000 international cancellations.
Since Jeju Air operates most of its routes with the same model as the crashed Boeing 737-800, customers appear to have been concerned about the risk of accidents. In fact, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Aircraft Technology Information System, 39 out of Jeju Air's total 41 aircraft are B737-800s.
The passenger plane involved in the accident the previous day was mostly a Christmas package charter flight planned by a small travel agency. Accordingly, there have been continuous cancellations of package tour products as well.
A Jeju Air official explained, "Although the tally started from early dawn the previous day, most cancellations occurred after around 9 a.m. on the day the Muan Airport accident happened," adding, "It is more than usual."
Amid the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster that resulted in 179 deaths, local residents visited the joint memorial altar set up at Muan Sports Park near Muan International Airport in Jeonnam on the 30th to pay their respects to the victims.
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