South Korea is a popular travel destination for Singaporeans, including its southern island of Jeju.
However, those who went there for the year-end holidays may have found themselves stranded for eight hours or more.
That’s because heavy snowfall at Jeju Airport caused more than 8,000 travellers to be stuck there.
Source: Google Maps
The runway was reportedly closed for that lengthy period of time.
On Friday (22 Dec) morning, about 7cm to 8cm of snow fell on Jeju Airport, reported The Korea Herald.
This was caused by severe weather conditions that were part of South Korea’s strongest cold wave this season.
So far, freezing temperatures of as low as -21.5°C have been recorded across the country, according to The Korea Times.
The snowfall in Jeju Airport accumulated on the runways and moorings, causing widespread flight delays.
Source: Google Maps
A total of 261 flights were cancelled from 8.30am.
They comprised 137 domestic arrivals and 122 departures, as well as one international arrival and departure each.
Additionally, five flights that were supposed to land at Jeju Airport were diverted.
Source: Google Maps
A passenger posted on Instagram that her flight from Jeju to Busan at 1.05pm was cancelled due to weather conditions.
Source: Instagram
As you can imagine, the sheer number of cancelled flights caused a huge backlog of stranded passengers at the airport.
More than 8,000 passengers scheduled to depart that day were left literally in the cold, with nowhere to go.
An Instagram story posted by the same user showed the terminal packed with people waiting for their flights.
Source: Instagram
After the airport deployed all the equipment available to clear the snow from the runway, airport operations finally resumed.
This came as the Korea Meteorological Administration lifted its strong wind advisory for Jeju Island at 2pm.
However, when the runway reopened, passengers had already been waiting for seven hours and 40 minutes.
Unfortunately, more waiting was in store for many — the actual time each flight could take off was expected to vary across airlines.
That’s because the wings and fuselages of aircraft need to be defrosted before the plane could fly.
If you’re visiting South Korea and Jeju, do take care and keep warm.
Also read: Seoul-Jeju Flight Takes 3 Hours Longer Due To Strong Winds, Passengers Cheer After Finally Landing
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Featured image adapted from Instagram and Google Maps.
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