Chartered Flight Carrying Wuhan Evacuees Arrives at Gimpo Airport... "Calm Atmosphere"

"Wuhan Airport Line Boarding in Calm Atmosphere... Passengers Sleep Immediately Due to Fatigue"
Fire and Ambulance Vehicles Standby on Apron... Passengers Board Sequentially from Around 8:40 AM

A Korean Air charter flight carrying Korean residents from Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, where the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) occurred, arrived at Gimpo International Airport in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 31st. The residents are lined up to board buses. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] A government-chartered plane carrying Korean residents who had been staying in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, where the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) began, arrived at Gimpo International Airport. After undergoing quarantine procedures at the Seoul Gimpo Business Aviation Center (SGBAC), the residents will be quarantined in places such as Asan, Chungnam, and Jincheon, Chungbuk.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and related agencies on the 31st, Korean Air flight KE9884 carrying 367 Korean residents departed Wuhan Tianhe Airport at 6:03 a.m. local time (5:03 a.m. Korean time) and arrived at Gimpo Airport around 7:58 a.m.

Before the residents disembarked, the apron was equipped with quarantine personnel wearing white protective suits, as well as about ten fire and ambulance vehicles. In addition, boarding bridges and cargo loaders to handle passengers and luggage were on standby, and a quarantine area consisting of tents and outdoor tables was set up on one side.

About 40 minutes after the chartered plane arrived, around 8:40 a.m., the residents began to disembark one by one, starting with passengers presumed to be a family. Wearing casual clothes and masks, the residents carried small suitcases and backpacks as they got off the plane.

After disembarking onto the apron via the boarding bridge, the residents underwent temperature checks at a makeshift table set up in front of the tent and also filled out brief documents presumed to be health questionnaires. After completing the related procedures, the residents boarded remote buses (airport shuttle buses) operated by Korean Air (Korea Airports Corporation) and moved to a separate area.

The passengers arriving from Wuhan to Gimpo generally maintained a calm atmosphere, but appeared somewhat tired, likely due to the urgent developments and long waiting times. An official who boarded the chartered plane explained, "The boarding process at Wuhan Airport was generally conducted in a very calm atmosphere. Since symptomatic individuals were not allowed to board, the quarantined residents boarded the plane one or two at a time, and most fell asleep as soon as they sat down due to fatigue."

Korean Air officials, including Chairman Cho Won-tae of Hanjin Group who was on board the chartered plane, as well as flight attendants, boarded separate vehicles and moved to the company after undergoing designated quarantine procedures. They wore protective suits during the flight to prepare for any possible infection.

Although Chairman Cho had no specific role, he is reported to have continuously monitored the overall situation as the person responsible for the flight. A Korean Air official said, "Chairman Cho said, 'I am relieved that the passengers arrived safely. There are still many Korean residents remaining in Wuhan, so let's do everything we can to bring them home quickly.'"

Meanwhile, the 367 passengers who arrived at Gimpo Airport on that day were separated by bus and quarantined at two locations: the Police Human Resources Development Institute in Asan, Chungnam, and the National Human Resources Development Institute for Public Officials in Jincheon, Chungbuk.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.