Korean Air Aircraft Stops Beyond Holding Line at Gimpo Airport... Government Investigation

An incident occurred on the runway at Gimpo International Airport where the taxiing paths of aircraft became entangled, potentially leading to an accident, prompting authorities to launch an investigation.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the aviation industry on the 20th, at around 8 a.m. the previous day, Korean Air flight KE1118 from Jeju landed on the runway at Gimpo Airport and while taxiing, crossed a holding line on the taxiway leading to another runway and stopped.

At that time, an Air Busan flight BX8027 was taking off from the other runway in front of the holding line.

The approximate taxiing paths of these aircraft were recorded on the flight tracking site Flightradar24, and this spread on social media (SNS) as a "dangerous situation where runway incursion almost led to a fatal accident."

Runway and apron view of Gimpo Airport. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

In response, Korean Air stated that their aircraft did not intrude onto the runway from which the Air Busan aircraft was taking off.

However, they confirmed that "there was a communication issue between the flight crew and the airport controllers" and added that a thorough investigation will be conducted.

The Seoul Regional Office of Aviation, under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which oversees Gimpo Airport, is investigating whether there was an error in air traffic control at the time and whether safety protocols were followed.

A Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official said, "Although it did not result in an actual accident, since it was a dangerous situation, we will strictly investigate the circumstances of the holding line incursion."

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