Muan International Airport is an
international airport
An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports, and feature longer runways and have faciliti ...
in
Muan County
Muan County () is a county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. In 2005, Muan County became the capital of South Jeolla following the transfer of the provincial office from its previous location in Gwangju to the village of Namak in Muan. M ...
, South Jeolla Province, South Korea. Construction of the airport began in 1997, and the airport opened on 9 November 2007. The airport serves the province of South Jeolla, especially the cities of
Gwangju
Gwangju (; ), formerly romanized as Kwangju, is South Korea's list of cities in South Korea, sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated Special cities of South Korea, metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home ...
,
Mokpo
Mokpo (; ) is the List of cities in South Korea, third largest and most densely populated city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, located at the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula, close to Yudal mountain. Mokpo has frequent high-speed ...
, and
Naju. It replaced the nearby
Mokpo Airport, and is expected to replace the nearby
Gwangju Airport as well. The airport is managed by
Korea Airports Corporation and served 543,247 passengers in 2018.
Airlines and destinations
Statistics
Accidents and incidents
On 29 December 2024,
Jeju Air Flight 2216, a
Boeing 737-800
The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 Next Gen, is a twinjet, twin-engine narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third-generation derivative of the Boeing 737, it ha ...
, crashed during an emergency
belly landing at Muan International Airport. The aircraft skidded along the runway before striking a concrete embankment at the runway's end, igniting a fire. Of the 181 people onboard, 179 were confirmed dead. The two survivors, both flight attendants aged 25 and 33, were rescued from the rear of the aircraft, both were severely injured but conscious at the time.
The concrete embankment at the end of the runway, part of the localizer antenna system, was heavily criticized for its design and placement. It was struck by the aircraft after it overran the runway, contributing to the explosion and subsequent fire that resulted in significant fatalities. Investigations are ongoing to determine the role of the embankment in the crash, alongside other factors such as the bird strike and landing gear malfunction.
The airport closed following the crash, and is expected to remain as such until April 18, 2025. Emergency and training flights resumed at the airport on 24 February 2025.
See also
*
Transportation in South Korea
References
External links
Official website*
{{Authority control
Buildings and structures in South Jeolla Province
Airports in South Korea
Muan County
Airports established in 2007
2007 establishments in South Korea
Transport in South Jeolla Province