Jeju Air Passengers Cancel Flight Tickets en Masse Following Deadly Crash

SEOUL:
A surge in cancellations of travel deals and airline tickets was reported on Monday as concerns over aviation safety mounted following a deadly airliner crash that claimed 179 lives, according to industry sources.

Jeju Air revealed that 68,000 flight reservations had been cancelled as of 1 p.m. (South Korean time). Of the cancelled tickets, over 33,000 were for domestic flights, while 34,000 were for international routes, reports Yonhap news agency.

The airline noted that most of the cancellations occurred after 9 a.m. on Sunday, when its flight 7C2216, carrying 181 people, crashed at Muan International Airport in the southwestern county of Muan.

Local travel agencies also reported a spike in cancellations of tour packages in the aftermath of the tragedy. Many of them have suspended their TV and online advertisements and promotional campaigns.

“We had about 40 inquiries regarding travel cancellations on Sunday alone,” said a travel agent who requested anonymity. “We saw about double the usual amount of cancellations and a 50 percent decrease in bookings.”

Industry sources said the travel industry is closely monitoring the situation, anticipating continued impact as public anxiety over aviation safety continues to grow.

Meanwhile, another Jeju Air flight that took off in South Korea on Monday returned to the airport of departure due to the same landing gear issue that was found in a deadly crash involving a separate aircraft of the same model the previous day, the company said.

Jeju Air Flight 7C101, which departed from Gimpo International Airport for Jeju at 6:37 a.m., detected an issue with its landing gear shortly after takeoff.

The airline informed the 161 passengers about the mechanical defect caused by the landing gear issue and subsequently returned the flight to Gimpo at 7:25 a.m.