President Lee Jae Myung surveys Muan International Airport during an aerial inspection of the southwestern region on June 30. [Cheong Wa Dae. Redistribution and DB prohibited]
President Lee Jae Myung surveys Muan International Airport during an aerial inspection of the southwestern region on June 30. [Cheong Wa Dae. Redistribution and DB prohibited]

The South Jeolla-Gwangju Integrated Special City has urged the government to reopen Muan International Airport before the end of the year, calling on authorities to provide a concrete normalization schedule.

The city has asked the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and other relevant agencies to promptly release a roadmap for restoring the airport to full operation — covering the disclosure of investigation results on the concrete localizer mound, completion of the re-search of the site for human remains, and confirmation of a firm reopening date.

The authority to decide whether and when to reopen the airport rests with the ministry, making it difficult for the local government to set a schedule on its own.

The city said it plans to continue providing administrative support and coordinating with relevant agencies with the goal of resuming operations this year.

The city stressed that airlines need a reopening timeline in advance to schedule routes, and that the travel industry requires one to develop tour products and secure staff — making a phased plan toward full normalization essential.

The city also plans to pursue measures to revitalize the airport in line with the reopening, including recruiting airline routes, expanding public transit access and launching domestic and international promotional campaigns.

Muan Airport has been temporarily closed since the Jeju Air passenger jet disaster on Dec. 29, 2024.

Key prerequisites for reopening that remain unresolved include the accident investigation, a re-search of the site for human remains, and improvements to the localizer facility that the aircraft struck.

Kim Jae-in, acting director of the city's construction and transportation bureau, said it was difficult to pinpoint an exact date but that the city was pushing ahead with all necessary steps toward a reopening this year. "We are urging the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to announce a reopening roadmap so that the local travel industry can prepare in advance," he said.


sij@heraldcorp.com