"Even the Crew Was Surprised and Asked Passengers"…Why Did the Plane Land at Gimpo Instead of Incheon?

Unexpected Landing at Gimpo Airport
Passengers Left Confused and Inconvenienced by Sudden Change Without Explanation

A passenger plane bound for Incheon International Airport unexpectedly landed at Gimpo Airport, causing confusion among passengers. Passengers reported that the destination was changed without prior notice, resulting in over two hours of inconvenience, yet they did not receive sufficient explanation or even an apology.

According to Yonhap News on August 14, AirAsia flight D7 506, which departed from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and was scheduled to arrive at Incheon Airport around 7:50 p.m. the previous day, circled in Korean airspace before landing at Gimpo Airport at 8:08 p.m. instead of Incheon. Passengers said that even after an announcement from the captain stating they had arrived at Incheon, looking outside revealed they were actually at Gimpo.

In-flight situation of AirAsia flight D7 506. Photo by Yonhap News (provided by reader)

A passenger, identified as Kim (38), told Yonhap News by phone, "When a passenger pointed out that we were at Gimpo Airport and not Incheon, the flight attendants looked surprised and even asked the passengers for confirmation. After realizing we were at Gimpo, the crew appeared confused, and passengers, thinking they had arrived, began taking out their luggage."

Kim added, "They said the emergency landing at Gimpo was due to turbulence or a lack of fuel, but there was no sign of refueling. Even upon arriving at Incheon, there was no apology." A video taken inside the cabin at the time captured a flight attendant announcing, "We are short on fuel. Landing at Gimpo Airport is due to an emergency situation, and the captain is checking on the flight to Incheon Airport."

After remaining at Gimpo Airport for about two hours, flight D7 506 took off at 10:03 p.m. and arrived at Incheon Airport at 10:56 p.m., approximately 50 minutes later. Kim's husband, identified as Choi (44), expressed his frustration, saying, "Passengers were not properly informed about what kind of emergency required the emergency landing or how long it would take."

This is not the first time a passenger plane bound for Incheon Airport has landed at Gimpo Airport. In April of this year, an Asiana Airlines flight from Vietnam to Incheon landed at Gimpo due to an altimeter issue, causing inconvenience for over 250 passengers. Those passengers had to wait in the cabin for more than three hours for equipment checks and immigration procedures before entering the country through Gimpo Airport. At the time, Asiana Airlines stated it would compensate passengers for the diversion.