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Passengers baffled as AirAsia flight to Incheon lands at Gimpo Airport

Published: 14 Aug. 2025, 10:38

The AirAsia Flight D7 506 from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, scheduled to arrive in Incheon, lands at Gimpo Internationa Airport on Aug. 13. [YONHAP]

Passengers experienced an over two-hour delay after an AirAsia flight scheduled to land at Incheon International Airport unexpectedly touched down at Gimpo International Airport without any prior notice.

According to Yonhap News on Thursday, AirAsia Flight D7 506 from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia circled in Korean airspace before landing at Gimpo Airport at 8:08 p.m. on Wednesday. The flight had originally been scheduled to arrive at Incheon around 7:50 p.m.

Passengers said the pilot even announced that the aircraft had arrived at Incheon, only for them to look outside and realize they were at Gimpo instead.

“A passenger mentioned we were at Gimpo, not Incheon, and even the crew looked surprised and asked us to confirm,” said a 38-year-old passenger surnamed Kim. “Once the crew realized it really was Gimpo, they became visibly flustered. Many passengers had already begun taking out their luggage, thinking we had arrived.”

Kim said passengers were told conflicting explanations, including turbulence and a fuel shortage, but said there was no indication that the plane had been refueled. “Even when we finally got to Incheon, no apology was given,” Kim added.

In a video taken on board, a flight attendant can be heard saying that the plane had “run low on fuel” and that landing at Gimpo had been an emergency measure. The pilot, according to the announcement, was checking whether the flight could continue to Incheon.

Flight D7 506 remained at Gimpo for about two hours before taking off again at 10:03 p.m. and arriving at Incheon at 10:56 p.m.

Choi, Kim’s 44-year-old husband, said passengers were left in the dark. “There was no clear explanation about what the emergency was or how long we would be delayed,” he said. “It was very frustrating.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom staff.
BY HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]