Seoul-Jeju Flight Lands Three Hours Late, Multiple Landing Attempts Made
Many factors can cause flight delays — with unpredictable wind conditions being one of them.
On 15 Mar, some passengers aboard a Jeju Air flight from Seoul had their hour-long journey extended into a four-hour one.
The pilot apparently had issues with landing due to strong wind conditions.
Jeju Air pilot attempts landing four times
Recently, TikTok user Kyung Hoon (@kyung.2k) shared a video of his experience onboard the said flight.
@kyung.2k A supposed 1 hour flight became 4 hours due to str0nk winds & failure to land thrice 🫠✈️ #fyp #zyxcba #tiktoksg #jeju #jejuisland #jejuair #sgtiktok #fypシ #tiktokkorea
In his video, Kyung Hoon shared that his flight to Jeju Island departed from Seoul at 12.05pm.
The journey from Seoul to Jeju usually takes about an hour, so they were supposed to arrive at Jeju International Airport by 1.10pm.
However, the situation turned rocky when the plane tried to land in Jeju.
Kyung Hoon shared that he was initially asleep, but awoke to the plane attempting to land a second time.
Unfortunately, the pilot informed the passengers that the winds were still too strong.
Source: @kyung.2k on TikTok
When the plane attempted to land for the third time, Kyung Hoon shared that it was already 2.20pm.
Source: @kyung.2k on TikTok
Although they came close to the runway, the pilot assessed that the wind conditions were still not ideal.
Flight re-routes to Gwangju Airport to refuel before landing in Jeju
After the third failed attempt, the plane was re-routed to Gwangju Airport to refuel.
Kyung Hoon claimed that some passengers alighted there, though it’s unclear what for.
By the time they left Gwangju Airport, more than two hours had passed since their supposed landing time.
Source: @kyung.2k on TikTok
Thankfully, the plane finally landed safely in Jeju after their short layover.
Source: @kyung.2k on TikTok
According to Kyung Hoon, the passengers alighted from the plane at 4.42pm, over 3.5 hours after their expected arrival time.
Source: @kyung.2k on TikTok
Speaking to MS News, Kyunghoon said after reaching Jeju, he realised that his flight was the only one affected by the strong winds. “The other flights at that time had about 10 to 30 minutes’ delay.”
Even though he had to shave off half a day on his 4-day itinerary, he said he was confident that the pilot made the right choice for everyone’s safety.
Kyunghoon, a Korean national based in Singapore, reminded travellers heading to Jeju to always check the weather condition and season before flying. “Sometimes, there will be too much snow on the runway, which will cease all takeoffs and landing to Jeju Island,” he said.
He is now back in Singapore, safe and sound.
TikTok users say pilot made the right call
Despite the long delay, multiple TikTok users commended the pilot for making the right call.
Source: TikTok
Another pointed out that pilots are trained not to force a landing as it would endanger the lives of passengers.
Source: TikTok
One user also shared a similar experience on board a flight to Jeju.
Source: TikTok
They echoed the sentiments of many others in the comments that safety comes first.
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Featured image adapted from @kyung.2k on TikTok.
