Passengers Arriving from Tokyo Dropped Off at Domestic Terminal... Korean Air Fined for Misrouting International Travelers

[Financial News] Korean Air will have to pay a 10 million won fine imposed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) after mistakenly dropping off dozens of international passengers at the domestic terminal.
According to Yonhap News Agency on the 8th, Korean Air divided passengers on Flight KE2106, which departed from Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport) in Japan on June 7 and arrived at Gimpo International Airport, among several ground-handling company ramp buses—vehicles that connect the airport terminal with the aircraft parking area—and transported them to the international terminal.
During the process, one ramp bus took the wrong route and mistakenly dropped off 52 passengers at the domestic terminal instead of the international terminal. Unaware of what had happened, the passengers entered the terminal alongside passengers arriving on domestic flights operated by other airlines. Four of them reportedly left the airport without undergoing immigration inspection, then returned later to complete the entry procedures.
MOLIT determined that the incident constituted a violation of security regulations and imposed a 10 million won fine on Korean Air.
Korean Air explained, "It was confirmed that the ground-handling company’s ramp-bus driver became confused and took a route that did not lead to the international arrival procedures. As soon as we became aware of the situation, we carried out the necessary procedures with the relevant airport authorities so that immigration inspections could be conducted for the passengers."
The airline added, "We take this matter very seriously. We are thoroughly reviewing and implementing the necessary measures, including reexamining on-site operating procedures, to prevent similar inconveniences from occurring again."
[email protected] Kim Soo-yeon Reporter