SEOUL- AirAsia X (D7) flight D7506 from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Incheon International Airport (ICN) on 13 August 2025 was unexpectedly diverted to Seoul’s Gimpo International Airport (GMP), arriving more than two hours later than scheduled.
The airline said the diversion was due to adverse weather and air traffic congestion at Incheon, but passengers reported confusion on board when the captain initially announced they had landed at Incheon, despite being at Gimpo, around 20 miles away. Crew members appeared unaware of the change until after landing.
Photo: By Bidgee – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72800221AirAsia X Flight Lands at Wrong Airport
According to AirAsia X, flight D7506 was approaching Seoul when air traffic control instructed a diversion to Gimpo International Airport for refuelling. The decision was made after potential delays and the risk of landing below the required fuel reserves.
The airline stated the captain informed passengers in English about the diversion during the flight, but a miscommunication occurred when the cabin crew later announced arrival at Incheon.
Several passengers said they only realised they were at the wrong airport after noticing the signage outside. One flight attendant reportedly had to call her family at Incheon to let them know she had landed elsewhere.
Customers complained they were not offered water while waiting on the ground and received limited updates before the flight continued to its original destination.
The aircraft departed Gimpo later that night, arriving at Incheon around midnight — more than four hours after its scheduled arrival time.
Photo: By Bidgee, CC BY-SA 3.0 au, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=80823431Benyamin Ismail, CEO of AirAsia X, said the diversion was “an unforeseen situation caused by adverse weather in Incheon” and stressed that safety remained the priority.
He explained that the captain followed standard operating procedures, which included diverting for refuelling in the interest of safety.
The airline acknowledged the confusion and said it will review its internal announcement protocols to ensure clearer communication in future diversions. AAX also confirmed it will provide travel vouchers to affected passengers as a goodwill gesture.
Photo: avgeekwithlens/ Harsh TekriwalSimilar Incidents
This incident is not without precedent. In 2019, a British Airways flight from London City (LCY) to Düsseldorf (DUS) landed in Edinburgh (EDI) after the wrong flight plan was used. That same year, a Scandinavian Airlines flight from Copenhagen (CPH) to Bologna (BLQ) instead flew to Florence (FLR) without notifying passengers until landing.
Other cases include a near-mistake by Singapore Airlines in Mumbai (BOM), a Nigerian airline landing in Asaba (ABB) instead of Abuja (ABV), and an American Airlines flight from Norfolk (ORF) that touched down on the wrong runway at Chicago O’Hare (ORD).
While diversions for safety reasons are routine in aviation, clear and timely communication is critical to maintaining passenger trust. Operational adjustments, such as weather-related diversions require both flight crew and cabin crew to have aligned and accurate information before making announcements.
Incidents like the AirAsia X diversion to Gimpo underline the importance of transparent communication and rigorous adherence to safety protocols — both to protect passengers and to avoid unnecessary confusion.
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