Heavy rain and strong winds across Seoul and the surrounding metropolitan area on Sunday forced the cancellation of 40 flights at South Korea’s Incheon International Airport and delayed dozens more amid the peak tourism season.
Incheon International Airport Corporation said seven flights also returned to their departure airports, while 34 others were delayed, according to Korea Joongang Daily.
Under the airport’s definition, an international flight is considered delayed if its departure or arrival is more than 15 minutes behind schedule.
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Passengers at Incheon International Airport, South Korea. Photo by AFP |
Affected flights included those by Trinity Airways from Osaka, Hong Kong Airlines from Hong Kong, and Jeju Air from Fukuoka.
The heavy rain and strong winds were caused by a low-pressure trough and an accompanying low-pressure system that moved across the Korean Peninsula, particularly its central region, The Chosun Daily reported citing a source from the Korea Meteorological Administration.
Incheon ranked Asia’s second best airport after Singapore Changi in the 2026 Skytrax World Airport Awards. It handled 38.39 million international passengers in the first half of this year, a 6.3% increase from the same period last year.
October and November are typically peak tourism months in South Korea, as tourists flock to see the country’s autumn foliage.