South Korean news agency, The Korean Herald reports that over 160 flights were grounded on Wednesday in Jeju, the southern island of South Korea, as Typhoon Khanun approached. The impending storm, making its way from Japan, was projected to hit the southern coastal regions of the country on Thursday, as predicted by the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).
Jeju International Airport, which had a total of 490 scheduled flights for the day, faced cancellations for 166 of them by 6 p.m. On a comical note, it seems Khanun had no intention of letting these flights take off, turning the airport into a temporary "no-fly" zone. Even Korean Air joined the party, canceling all its departures and arrivals to and from Jeju starting at 6:40 p.m. Other local airlines didn't want to miss out on the storm's show either, scrapping their late Wednesday flights.
The suspense continues as a few international flights are still in limbo, uncertain whether they'll face Khanun's wrath or not. Passengers on these flights must be feeling a bit like weather reporters, constantly checking if they're going to be hit by a travel storm.
Thankfully, there's a glimmer of hope on the horizon. Flight operations might make a comeback as early as Thursday afternoon, assuming Khanun decides to calm down and move on. Airport officials are keeping their fingers crossed, although they might want to keep umbrellas handy just in case.
Not just flights, but even passenger boat services were thrown off track, with maritime authorities putting them on hold. It seems like Khanun's antics didn't spare any form of travel.
For those on Jeju Island, the weather forecast isn't looking too sunny. Typhoon alerts have been spread like confetti, covering both the land and the surrounding waters. Islanders might want to consider indoor picnics for the time being.
Before settling down to make its Jeju debut, Khanun managed to stir up some trouble across South Korea's regional airports. Korea Airports Corp., in charge of 14 regional airports (except the mighty Incheon International Airport), reported a total of 87 canceled departures as of 11 a.m. The cancellation roster included 33 flights from Seoul's Gimpo International Airport, 22 from Jeju (bet they didn't expect that), 13 from Busan, 6 from Gwangju, and 5 from Cheongju.
But here's the silver lining – Incheon International Airport remains untouched by Khanun's antics. Perhaps this airport has a secret deal with the typhoon to spare its flights in exchange for a constant stream of duty-free shopping enthusiasts.
