Announcement Said "Arrived at Incheon," but Outside Was Gimpo Airport... Airline Explains Incident

“Refueling Needed Due to Severe Weather... Diverted to Gimpo Airport”
“Travel Vouchers to Be Provided to Passengers”

Regarding the incident in which an AirAsia passenger flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Incheon Airport landed at Gimpo Airport without prior notice, the airline has explained that it was "for safety reasons."

According to Yonhap News on August 15, AirAsia issued an official statement on August 14, saying, "Due to severe weather at Incheon Airport, the aircraft was put on hold in the air, and based on the captain's judgment that refueling was necessary, the flight was diverted to Gimpo."

Previously, flight D7 506, which was scheduled to arrive at Incheon Airport at 7:50 p.m. on August 13, was put on hold in Korean airspace and then, without prior notice, changed course and landed at Gimpo Airport at around 8:08 p.m. The aircraft remained at Gimpo Airport for about two hours, took off at 10:03 p.m., and arrived at Incheon Airport at 10:56 p.m.

The interior of AirAsia flight D7 506 during landing at Gimpo Airport. Photo by Yonhap News

At the time of landing, some passengers reported hearing "Incheon Airport" in the captain's announcement, but became confused after confirming that the scenery outside the window was Gimpo Airport. It is standard procedure to inform passengers via in-flight announcements when the arrival airport changes. However, on this occasion, a proper announcement was not made, and even the crew members appeared to be confused.

The company explained, "There was an announcement from the captain, but due to a mistake by a crew member during landing, 'Incheon Airport' was mentioned, which caused confusion," adding, "A correction and apology announcement was made immediately afterward."

Benjamin Ismail, CEO of AirAsia, stated, "The landing at Gimpo was an unexpected safety measure," and added, "We plan to provide travel vouchers to the affected passengers."

Earlier this year, in April, an Asiana Airlines passenger flight from Vietnam to Incheon Airport also landed at Gimpo Airport due to an altimeter issue, causing inconvenience to about 250 passengers. At that time, Asiana Airlines announced that it would compensate the passengers.