A charter flight that launched its first direct route between Jeju and the Philippines this year returned to Jeju without passengers. As a result, around 170 travelers who were scheduled to return home are stranded locally. The airline departed on time as planned, but it appears the travel agency misinterpreted the timing.
According to the Jeju Tourism Organization and others on the 5th, a Royal Air flight that was originally scheduled to depart from Manila, Philippines, at 4:30 p.m. local time on the 3rd left without passengers. Consequently, about 170 travelers who were supposed to return to Jeju after a 4-day trip from the 28th of last month were unable to return and are still remaining in Manila. Most of the passengers are reported to be Jeju residents.
The travel agency plans to arrange an alternative flight that will depart from Manila, Philippines, at around 12:30 p.m. local time on the 5th and is expected to arrive in Jeju at approximately 5:30 p.m. It has been reported that affected travelers were informed by the airline that the departure time was mistakenly understood as 4:30 p.m. 'Jeju arrival' instead of 4:30 p.m. 'Manila departure.'
An official from the Jeju Tourism Organization said, 'The operation of the charter flight is carried out through cooperation among Jeju and Philippine travel agencies and airlines, but the exact circumstances regarding why the flight departed without passengers have not been clarified.'