Charter Flight to Jeju Took Off Empty... Over 170 People Stuck in Manila Pacing Anxiously

Departed Three Hours Earlier Than Scheduled Without Passengers
Over 170 Travelers Stranded, Unable to Return Home
Jeju Tourism Organization: "Investigating the Circumstances"

A charter flight that operated the direct route between Jeju and Manila, Philippines for the first time this year returned to Jeju without carrying about 170 passengers. As a result, more than 170 travelers who were scheduled to return were stranded locally. On the 5th, Yonhap News reported, citing an announcement from the Jeju Tourism Organization, that the Royal Air flight originally scheduled to depart from Manila to Jeju around 4:30 PM local time on the 3rd actually departed about three hours earlier at 12:30 PM without any passengers on board.

On the afternoon of February 28, the first charter flight from Manila, Philippines, arrived in Jeju, and a welcoming ceremony was held at Jeju International Airport. Provided by Jeju Tourism Organization

Consequently, more than 170 travelers who had been on a 3-night, 4-day trip since the 28th of last month and were supposed to return to Jeju on that charter flight have not been able to return and are still staying in Manila. Most of the passengers are known to be residents of Jeju. The travel agency plans to arrange an alternative flight departing Manila around 12:30 PM local time on the 5th and arriving in Jeju around 5:30 PM. The affected travelers reportedly heard from the airline that the 4:30 PM time was misunderstood as 'arrival in Jeju' rather than 'departure from Manila' on the 3rd.

A representative from the Jeju Tourism Organization said, "Charter flights operate through cooperation between Jeju and Philippine travel agencies and airlines, but the exact reason why this flight operated without passengers is not yet known." This charter flight operation is the result of Jeju Province and the Tourism Organization's sales efforts for Jeju tourism conducted in Manila last December, and the province and the organization are providing incentives for direct international charter flights to Jeju.

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