Muan International Airport

Muan International Airport (IATA: MWX, ICAO: RKJB) is an international airport in Muan County, South Jeolla Province, South Korea. Construction of the airport began in 1997, and the airport opened on 9 November 2007. The airport serves the province of South Jeolla, especially the cities of Gwangju, Mokpo, and Naju. It replaced the nearby Mokpo Airport, and is expected to replace the nearby Gwangju Airport as well. The airport is managed by Korea Airports Corporation and served 543,247 passengers in 2018.^{[needs update]}

Muan International Airport 무안국제공항
IATA: MWX ICAO: RKJB
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
Operator	Korea Airports Corporation
Serves	Gwangju, Mokpo and Naju
Location	Muan, South Jeolla, South Korea
Opened	8 November 2007; 17 years ago (2007-11-08)
Elevation AMSL	16 m / 52 ft
Coordinates	34°59′29″N 126°22′58″E
Website	airport.co.kr/muaneng
Map
MWX/RKJB Location of airport in South Korea
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 01/19 2,800 9,186 Concrete
Statistics (2023)
Passengers 233,337 Aircraft movements 1,484 Cargo tonnage 1,484
Source:airport.kr.com[1][2]

Muan International Airport
Hangul	무안국제공항
Hanja	務安國際空港
Revised Romanization	Muan Gukje Gonghang
McCune–Reischauer	Muan Kukche Konghang

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Cambodia Airways	Siem Reap[3]
Jeju Air	Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi,[4] Jeju,[5] Kota Kinabalu,[6] Nagasaki,[6] Taipei–Taoyuan,[7] Yanji[5]
Jin Air	Jeju,[8] Osaka–Kansai,[9] Taipei–Taoyuan,[9] Tokyo–Narita,[9] Ulaanbaatar[10]
Lao Airlines	Charter: Luang Prabang[11]
Loong Air	Hangzhou[12]
Lucky Air	Lijiang[13]
VietJet Air	Da Nang[14]
Vietnam Airlines	Charter: Da Nang,[citation needed] Hanoi,[citation needed] Nha Trang[citation needed]

Statistics

Air traffic statistics
	Aircraft operations	Passenger volume	Cargo tonnage
2007	224	15,223	159
2008	1,841	130,014	1,173
2009	1,032	57,716	450
2010	1,058	47,727	907
2011	875	91,133	941
2012	923	96,166	957
2013	1,237	132,603	1,329
2014	1,499	178,414	1,738
2015	2,355	311,922	2,677
2016	2,330	321,675	2,751
2017	2,146	298,016	2,243
2018	3,818	543,247	3,890
2019	6,585	895,410	6,762
2020	930	112,938	1,013
2021	88	7,529	35
2022	192	29,394	352
2023	1,484	233,337	2,724
Source: Korea Airports Corporation Traffic Statistics[15]

Accidents and incidents

Main article: Jeju Air Flight 2216

On 29 December 2024, Jeju Air Flight 2216, a Boeing 737-800, crashed during an emergency belly landing at Muan International Airport. The aircraft skidded along the runway before striking a concrete embankment at the runway's end, igniting a fire.^[16] Of the 181 people onboard, 179 were confirmed dead. The two survivors, both flight attendants aged 25 and 33, were rescued from the rear of the aircraft, both were severely injured but conscious at the time.^[17][18] The concrete embankment at the end of the runway, part of the localizer antenna system, was heavily criticized for its design and placement. It was struck by the aircraft after it overran the runway, contributing to the explosion and subsequent fire that resulted in significant fatalities. Investigations are ongoing to determine the role of the embankment in the crash, alongside other factors such as the bird strike and landing gear malfunction.^[19][20]

The airport closed following the crash, and is expected to remain as such until April 18, 2025.^[21][22] Emergency and training flights resumed at the airport on 24 February 2025.^[23]

See also

• Transportation in South Korea