Over 2,000 Cases of "Please Let Me Off" Just Before Airplane Takeoff... More Than Half Due to 'This'

2295 Cases in 5 Years and 8 Months Before Takeoff
'Health Reasons' Account for 53%, the Highest

There have been over 2,000 cases in the past five years where passengers requested to disembark voluntarily just before an aircraft's takeoff.

According to data submitted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to Heo Jong-sik, a member of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, from 2018 to August of this year, a total of 2,594 cases occurred nationwide where passengers who had boarded an aircraft disembarked again. Among these, only 299 cases were due to airline decisions based on aircraft defects, while the remaining 2,295 cases were all voluntary disembarkations.

Aircraft are parked on the apron at Incheon International Airport. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

The number of voluntary disembarkation cases was 390 in 2018 and 359 in 2019, but dropped to 219 in 2020 due to reduced flight operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, as air routes reopened in 2021, the cases surged to 420, and increased further to 563 last year. This year, the number of voluntary disembarkations recorded up to August alone reached 344, nearly matching the pre-pandemic annual level.

Breaking down the 2,295 voluntary disembarkation cases by type, "health reasons" accounted for 1,222 cases (53.2%), making up more than half. This was followed by "simple change of mind" due to lost items, fare dissatisfaction, etc., with 679 cases (29.6%). Next were "schedule changes" with 221 cases (9.6%) and "death of family or acquaintances" with 173 cases (7.5%).

Under the Aviation Security Act, if a passenger wishes to disembark from an aircraft just before takeoff, the airline must notify airport authorities and follow their instructions to carry out appropriate security measures. In particular, if there is a suspicion of possible terrorism involvement, security checks on all passengers and luggage may be conducted again. This process delays the aircraft's departure, causing inconvenience to other passengers and resulting in schedule changes and other damages to the airline.

In response, major domestic airlines such as Korean Air and Asiana Airlines have been imposing penalties on passengers who voluntarily disembark since 2019, but it is pointed out that this has not been very effective.

Assemblyman Heo said, "Unless it is an unavoidable situation, aviation security regulations need to be strengthened to prevent passengers from disembarking for personal reasons." He added, "Airlines should also actively demand compensation from passengers who voluntarily disembark."

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