JEJU, July 7 (Korea Bizwire) — In a bid to ensure disinfection and social distancing in bustling departure waiting rooms for domestic flights, Jeju International Airport has decided to open international flight waiting rooms to domestic flight passengers.
The departure waiting rooms for international flights have remained idle since the visa-free entry system was suspended in February 2020.
The Korea Airports Corp. (KAC) said Tuesday that it took measures to enable domestic flight passengers at Jeju International Airport to board planes through departure gates previously dedicated to international flights during the summer peak season of July and August.
The airport also enabled passengers on domestic flights to use five out of nine international flight gates, boosting the airport’s total number of gates for domestic flights from 15 to 20.
In addition, by removing the partitions between domestic and international flight waiting rooms, the airport allowed domestic flight passengers to freely use the international flight waiting rooms after going through security.
According to the KAC, the number of domestic tourists who visited the island in June was tentatively estimated at 1.12 million, recovering up to 97 percent of the pre-COVID-19 level (1.15 million).
After the recovery of travel demand, the departure waiting rooms for domestic flights were bustling with lots of tourists, making it difficult for them to observe the social distancing guidelines.
Image Credit: Yonhap / photonews@koreabizwire.com
