After the mass cancellation of more than 240 flights due to strong winds and heavy rain, Jeju International Airport is adding extra flights on Friday to transport stranded passengers.
The airport plans to operate a total of 530 flights throughout the day, including 458 domestic and 72 international routes. Of these, 38 flights — 35 domestic and three international — were urgently added to the original schedule to ease disruptions, according to news reports.
The number of passengers is expected to reach around 89,000, comparable to traffic levels during holiday seasons such as Lunar New Year and Chuseok.
Although flights have been added Friday, most travelers stranded on Jeju Island following the previous day’s mass cancellations are expected to leave over the weekend, as the spring season has drawn large numbers of group tourists to the island, officials said.
On Thursday, 246 flights, including 235 domestic and 11 international services, were canceled after more than 200 millimeters of rain and intense gusts of around 30 meters per second hit the island, according to the provincial government and the Korea Meteorological Administration.
Another 109 flights were delayed, while two inbound international flights had to divert.
Facility damage and incidents of residents being isolated have also been reported across the region.
“I came to Jeju just for a day trip for work, and now all the flights are canceled. I didn’t even bring a suitcase. What am I supposed to do?” one user wrote on Threads.
Some travelers have been departing the island by ferry, as many are still facing long waits to secure flights despite the additional services.
The weather began to ease from the previous evening, and as of 10 a.m. Friday, light rain was falling mainly in mountainous areas, while southwesterly winds blew around 3 meters per second. Rainfall was forcast to remain below 5 millimeters throughout the day.
cjh@heraldcorp.com
